Senescent bronchial fibroblasts induced to senescence by Cr(VI) promote epithelial-mesenchymal transition when co-cultured with bronchial epithelial cells in the presence of Cr(VI).

Cellular senescence is a physiological process that serves as a powerful barrier for tumorigenesis. However, senescent cells can be deleterious for the tissue microenvironment. Such is the case of senescent fibroblasts that release several pro-tumorigenic factors that promote malignant transformation in the nearby epithelial cells. Occupational exposure to hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] compounds is a cause of respiratory cancers. Although Cr(VI) is known to induce senescence in human foreskin fibroblasts, the role of senescent fibroblasts in the Cr(VI)-induced malignant transformation of human bronchial epithelial cells was never assessed. Thus, to study the evolutionary dynamics generated by the interaction between human bronchial epithelial cells and senescent bronchial fibroblasts, the non-tumorigenic human bronchial epithelial BEAS-2B cells were co-cultured with Cr(VI)-induced senescent human bronchial fibroblasts for 4 weeks. Under the pressure of 0.5 µM Cr(VI), senescent fibroblasts promoted the acquisition of mesenchymal features on BEAS-2B cells, e.g. the fusiform shape and increased Vimentin expression, consistent with the occurrence of an epithelial-mesenchymal transition-like process. Features of transformed cells including larger nuclei, as well as nuclei with heterogeneous size, were also observed. Altogether the results obtained demonstrate that besides acting over the epithelium, Cr(VI) also affects bronchial fibroblasts driving them senescent. As a consequence, a paracrine communication loop is established with the above-placed epithelium prompting the epithelial cells for malignant transformation and thus facilitating the initial steps of tumorigenesis.