Digitala Vetenskapliga Arkivet

Change search
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf
Investigating the role of the CD44/Hyaluronan axis and cancer-associated fibroblasts in palbociclib-resistant triple-negative breast cancer
Uppsala University, Disciplinary Domain of Science and Technology, Biology, Biology Education Centre. Uppsala University, Disciplinary Domain of Medicine and Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology. (Carl-Henrik Heldin)
2026 (English)Independent thesis Advanced level (degree of Master (Two Years)), 40 credits / 60 HE creditsStudent thesis
Abstract [en]

Triple-negative breast cancer is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer that lacks expression of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and HER2, which limits the availability of targeted therapies and contributes to poor clinical outcomes. Palbociclib, a cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 inhibitor, has shown clinical efficacy in hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, but remains less effective in triple-negative breast cancer, where resistance frequently develops. Increasing evidence suggests that interactions within the tumor microenvironment contribute to therapeutic resistance. The present study investigated tumor-stromal communication in triple-negative breast cancer, focusing on the CD44/hyaluronan signaling axis, cancer-associated fibroblasts, and potential mechanisms associated with palbociclib resistance. Human MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and BJ-hTERT fibroblasts were used to model tumor–stromal interactions in vitro. Cancer-associated fibroblasts were generated by stimulation with transforming growth factor beta stimulation, and conditioned medium experiments were performed to evaluate paracrine signaling effects between fibroblasts and tumor cells. Protein expression was analyzed by Western blotting. Fibroblasts exposed to conditioned medium derived from tumor cells exhibited altered alpha-smooth muscle actin expression, indicating activation-associated changes. In addition, conditioned medium derived from fibroblasts increased CD44 expression in MDA-MB-231 cells, with differences depending on the source of conditioned medium and duration of exposure. Conditioned medium derived from palbociclib treated cancer cells also induced changes in fibroblast activation-associated protein expression, suggesting altered tumor-stromal communication under therapeutic stress.These findings suggest that stromal cell interactions may contribute to the regulation of CD44-associated signaling pathways in triple-negative breast cancer and potentially influence adaptive responses linked to therapeutic resistance. Further studies are required to clarify the molecular mechanisms underlying these interactions and their clinical relevance.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2026.
National Category
Health Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-589648OAI: oai:DiVA.org:uu-589648DiVA, id: diva2:2070881
Educational program
Master Programme in Biology
Presentation
2026-05-22, 12:23 (English)
Supervisors
Available from: 2026-06-15 Created: 2026-06-12 Last updated: 2026-06-15Bibliographically approved

Open Access in DiVA

No full text in DiVA

By organisation
Biology Education CentreDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology
Health Sciences

Search outside of DiVA

GoogleGoogle Scholar

urn-nbn

Altmetric score

urn-nbn
Total: 39 hits
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf