Expression profiling of purified normal human luminal and myoepithelial breast cells: Identification of novel prognostic markers for breast cancer

• Published in: Cancer research (Chicago, Ill.) Vol. 64; no. 9; pp. 3037 - 3045
• Main Authors: JONES, Chris, MACKAY, Alan, PARRY, Suzanne, BUDRONI, Mario, PALMIERI, Giuseppe, NEVILLE, A. Munro, O'HARE, Michael J, LAKHANI, Sunil R, GRIGORIADIS, Anita, COSSU, Antonio, REIS-FILHO, Jorge S, FULFORD, Laura, DEXTER, Tim, DAVIES, Susan, BULMER, Karen, FORD, Emily
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia, PA American Association for Cancer Research 01.05.2004
• Subjects: Antineoplastic agents; Biological and medical sciences; Breast - cytology; Breast - metabolism; Breast - physiology; Breast Neoplasms - genetics; Breast Neoplasms - metabolism; Breast Neoplasms - pathology; Epithelial Cells - metabolism; Epithelial Cells - pathology; Female; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Medical sciences; Neoplasm Staging; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; Osteonectin - metabolism; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Prognosis; Tumors; Human; Mammary gland diseases; Myoepithelial cell; Prognosis; Biological marker; Breast cancer; Mammary gland; Malignant tumor; Gene expression profile
• ISSN: 0008-5472; 1538-7445
• DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-03-2028

The normal duct-lobular system of the breast is lined by two epithelial cell types, inner luminal secretory cells and outer contractile myoepithelial cells. We have generated comprehensive expression profiles of the two normal cell types, using immunomagnetic cell separation and gene expression microarray analysis. The cell-type specificity was confirmed at the protein level by immunohistochemistry in normal breast tissue. New prognostic markers for survival were identified when the luminal- and myoepithelial-specific molecules were evaluated on breast tumor tissue microarrays. Nuclear expression of luminal epithelial marker galectin 3 correlated with a shorter overall survival in these patients, and the expression of SPARC (osteonectin), a myoepithelial marker, was an independent marker of poor prognosis in breast cancers as a whole. These data provide a framework for the interpretation of breast cancer molecular profiling experiments, the identification of potential new diagnostic markers, and development of novel indicators of prognosis.