Cooperative pro-tumorigenic adaptation to oncogenic RAS through epithelial-to-mesenchymal plasticity

Sci Adv. 2024 Feb 16;10(7):eadi1736. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adi1736. Epub 2024 Feb 14.

Abstract

In breast cancers, aberrant activation of the RAS/MAPK pathway is strongly associated with mesenchymal features and stemness traits, suggesting an interplay between this mitogenic signaling pathway and epithelial-to-mesenchymal plasticity (EMP). By using inducible models of human mammary epithelial cells, we demonstrate herein that the oncogenic activation of RAS promotes ZEB1-dependent EMP, which is necessary for malignant transformation. Notably, EMP is triggered by the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines from neighboring RAS-activated senescent cells, with a prominent role for IL-6 and IL-1α. Our data contrast with the common view of cellular senescence as a tumor-suppressive mechanism and EMP as a process promoting late stages of tumor progression in response to signals from the tumor microenvironment. We highlighted here a pro-tumorigenic cooperation of RAS-activated mammary epithelial cells, which leverages on oncogene-induced senescence and EMP to trigger cellular reprogramming and malignant transformation.

MeSH terms

  • Breast
  • Carcinogenesis* / genetics
  • Cell Transformation, Neoplastic* / genetics
  • Cellular Senescence / genetics
  • Genes, ras
  • Humans
  • Signal Transduction
  • Tumor Microenvironment