Université de Fribourg

Type I interferon/IRF7 axis instigates chemotherapy-induced immunological dormancy in breast cancer

Lan, Qiang ; Peyvandi, Sanam ; Duffey, Nathalie ; Huang, Yu-Ting ; Barras, David ; Held, Werner ; Richard, François ; Delorenzi, Mauro ; Sotiriou, Christos ; Desmedt, Christine ; Lorusso, Girieca ; Rüegg, Curzio

In: Oncogene, 2019, vol. 38, no. 15, p. 2814–2829

Neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapies provide survival benefits to breast cancer patients, in particular in estrogen receptor negative (ER−) cancers, by reducing rates of recurrences. It is assumed that the benefits of (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy are due to the killing of disseminated, residual cancer cells, however, there is no formal evidence for it. Here, we provide experimental...

Université de Fribourg

The matricellular protein CYR61 promotes breast cancer lung metastasis by facilitating tumor cell extravasation and suppressing anoikis

Huang, Yu-Ting ; Lan, Qiang ; Lorusso, Girieca ; Duffey, Nathalie ; Rüegg, Curzio

In: Oncotarget, 2016, vol. 8, no. 6, p. 9200–9215

Matricellular proteins play multiple roles in primary tumor growth, local invasion and tumor angiogenesis. However, their contribution to metastasis and the putative mechanisms involved are less well characterized. In ER-negative human breast cancer, elevated expression levels of the matricellular protein Cysteine-rich angiogenic inducer 61 (CYR61) are associated with more aggressive...

Université de Fribourg

The matricellular protein CYR61 interferes with normal pancreatic islets architecture and promotes pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor progression

Huang, Yu-Ting ; Lan, Qiang ; Ponsonnet, Lionel ; Blanquet, Marisa ; Christofori, Gerhard ; Zaric, Jelena ; Rüegg, Curzio

In: Oncotarget, 2015, vol. 7, no. 2, p. 1663–1674

The significance of matricellular proteins during development and cancer progression is widely recognized. However, how these proteins actively contribute to physiological development and pathological cancer progression is only partially elucidated. In this study, we investigated the role of the matricellular protein Cysteine-rich 61 (CYR61) in pancreatic islet development and carcinogenesis....

Université de Fribourg

Akt/PKB-mediated phosphorylation of Twist1 promotes tumor metastasis via mediating cross-talk between PI3K/Akt and TGF-β signaling axes

Xue, Gongda ; Restuccia, David F. ; Lan, Qiang ; Hynx, Debby ; Dirnhofer, Stephan ; Hess, Daniel ; Rüegg, Curzio ; Hemmings, Brian A.

In: Cancer Discovery, 2012, vol. 2, no. 3, p. 248-259

Metastatic breast tumor cells display an epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) that increases cell motility, invasion, and dissemination. Although the transcription factor Twist1 has been shown to contribute to EMT and cancer metastasis, the signaling pathways regulating Twist1 activity are poorly understood. Here, we show that Twist1 is ubiquitously phosphorylated in 90% of 1,532 invasive...

Université de Fribourg

Proangiogenic factor PlGF programs CD11b+ myelomonocytes in breast cancer during differentiation of their hematopoietic progenitors

Laurent, Julien ; Faes-van't Hull, Eveline ; Touvrey, Cedric ; Kuonen, François ; Lan, Qiang ; Lorusso, Girieca ; Doucey, Marie-Agnès ; Ciarloni, Laura ; Imaizumi, Natsuko ; Alghisi, Gian Carlo ; Fagiani, Ernesta ; Zaman, Khalil ; Stupp, Roger ; Shibuya, Masabumi ; Delaloye, Jean-François ; Christofori, Gerhard ; Rüegg, Curzio

In: Cancer Research, 2011, vol. 71, no. 11, p. 3781-3791

Tumor-mobilized bone marrow-derived CD11b+ myeloid cells promote tumor angiogenesis, but how and when these cells acquire proangiogenic properties is not fully elucidated. Here we show that CD11b+ myelomonocytic cells develop proangiogenic properties during their differentiation from CD34+ hematopoietic progenitors and that Placenta Growth Factor (PlGF) is critical in promoting this ...