Triple negative breast cancer cells migrate toward bone marrow by targeting leptin

What is it about?

Using both 2-D and 3-D culture methods we showed that a triple negative breast cancer cell line that is highly metastatic to bone (MDA-MB-231) migrates toward bone only if marrow is present. Analyzing proteins in the media and verifying with transwell studies, we showed that leptin is an important chemokine in this process. Cancer cells may use adipocytes, which secrete leptin, as a target to home to a favorable niche.

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Why is it important?

The bone marrow microenvironment is very complex, and experiments that attempt to deconstruct it may lose the important spatial contextual cues between these cells that affect cancer cells biology. We used intact bone marrow within a normal bone microenvironment to show that breast cancer cells are affected by leptin secreted by bone marrow resident cells.