Gene expression profiles of triple-negative breast cancer cells under the condition of 3D proliferation

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is defined by the absence of estrogen and progesterone receptors and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, and is the most lethal and aggressive subtype of breast cancer. However, the genes which relate to promote tumor aggressiveness in TNBC remain unclear. In order to investigate specific genes and pathways involved in TNBC tumorigenesis, we compared genes differentially expressed between 3D cultures (3DC) or tumor xenograft models and control two-dimensional cultures (2DC). Total RNA was prepared from the TNBC cells under the condition of 2DC, 3DC and tumor xenograft models, and applied to Affymetrix Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 Array.

三阴性乳腺癌（Triple-negative breast cancer, TNBC）以雌激素受体、孕激素受体及人表皮生长因子受体2均呈阴性表达为定义特征，是预后最差、侵袭性最强的乳腺癌亚型。然而，目前尚未明确TNBC中与促进肿瘤侵袭性相关的基因。为探究TNBC发生发展相关的特定基因与信号通路，本研究对比了三维培养（3D cultures, 3DC）、肿瘤异种移植模型样本与对照二维培养（two-dimensional cultures, 2DC）样本间的差异表达基因。本研究从处于二维培养、三维培养及肿瘤异种移植模型环境中的TNBC细胞中提取总RNA，并将其应用于Affymetrix人类基因组U133 Plus 2.0基因芯片检测。