Studies on the effect of bacterial cell components on the proliferation and migration of MCF7 breast cancer cells

Pappus, S. Aurosman (2019) Studies on the effect of bacterial cell components on the proliferation and migration of MCF7 breast cancer cells. Masters thesis, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata.

PDF (MS dissertation of S. Aurosman Pappus (14MS053)) 14MS053.pdf - Submitted Version Restricted to Repository staff only Download (1MB)

Abstract

Cancer cells grow in an environment where they constantly interact with noncancerous host cells, host immune cells, commensal microbes associated with the host and pathogens that infect the host. The interaction of these entities with cancer cells can influence how the cancer develops. The interaction of cancer cells with the immune cells has been studied extensively and has major therapeutic applications. However, the interaction of cancer cells with the microbes is a relatively new field having huge potential. Initial correlation studies have shown involvement of certain bacteria with cancer formation, progression, reoccurrence and poor drug response. The aim of this study was to find out how bacterial components can interact with cancer cells and alter the fate of cancer cells. We used Staphylococcus epidermidis, a commensal of the skin and breast microbiome and Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of a pathogenic strain of E. coli with MCF7 cells to answer the above question. We found that LPS and attenuated S. epidermidis were able to increase proliferation and migration rate in MCF7 cells. Several genes involved in Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) such as MAP7, MMP2, TGF-β and VEGFR2 were upregulated post treatment with LPS and heat killed S. epidermidis. However, the supernatant of S. epidermidis couldn’t induce any change to the behavior of MCF7 cells. The results show that the interaction of bacterial components with cancer cells can increase the aggressiveness of cancer by upregulating proliferation and migration related genes. Hence, it is important to incorporate microbiome study of the patient in cancer treatment to achieve maximum efficiency.

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