When an invasive and deadly form of breast cancer called triple-negative grows, the fat cells around it seem to shrink.
UCSF researchers have discovered that the cells of these tumors — so called because they test negative for estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 receptors — build molecular tunnels into nearby fat cells. The tumor cells then send instructions through the tunnels, which scientists call gap junctions, that trigger the fat cells to release stores of energy that could feed the cancer.
Blocking the gap junctions stopped tumors from growing, in the lab.
A microscopic image showing triple negative breast cancer cells building tunnels to fat cells. Triple-negative breast cancer cells introduced into healthy breast tissue in petri dishes start to build tunnels connecting them to the nearby fat cells (large black areas). Image by Williams et al., Nature Communications
“Cancers thrive by hijacking the body’s energy sources and we’ve identified how this works in triple-negative breast cancer,” said Andrei Goga, MD, PhD, professor of cell and tissue biology at UCSF, co-leader of the Breast Oncology Program in the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and senior author of the paper.
The study, which appears in Nature Communications on Aug. 20, was funded by the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).