Bub1 is required for maintaining cancer stem cells in breast cancer cell lines

Sci Rep. 2015 Nov 2:5:15993. doi: 10.1038/srep15993.

Abstract

Breast cancer is a leading cause of death among women worldwide due to therapeutic resistance and cancer recurrence. Cancer stem cells are believed to be responsible for resistance and recurrence. Many efforts to overcome resistance and recurrence by regulating cancer stem cells are ongoing. Bub1 (Budding uninhibited by benzimidazoles 1) is a mitotic checkpoint serine/threonine kinase that plays an important role in chromosome segregation. Bub1 expression is correlated with a poor clinical prognosis in patients with breast cancer. We identified that depleting Bub1 using shRNAs reduces cancer stem cell potential of the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line, resulting in inhibited formation of xenografts in immunocompromised mice. These results suggest that Bub1 may be associated with cancer stem cell potential and could be a target for developing anti-breast cancer stem cell therapies.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Breast Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Chromosome Segregation / genetics
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Nude
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / genetics
  • Neoplastic Stem Cells / metabolism*
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / genetics*
  • RNA, Small Interfering / genetics

Substances

  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • BUB1 protein, human
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases