Neoplastic progression of breast epithelial cells--a molecular analysis.

Molecular changes associated with breast cancer progression were characterized using the MCF-10F cell series. MCF-10F was established from fibrous mastectomy tissue of a patient without detectable cancer. In vitro treatment of MCF-10F cells with benzo(a)pyrene resulted in a transformed subclone MCF-10F-BP1 (BP1). Transfection of clone BP1 with T24-Hras resulted in the tumorigenic line MCF-10F-BP1-Tras (BP1-Tras). Using flow cytometry, the expression of HLA I, ERBB-2 and MUC-1 was found to be comparable in 'normal' MCF-10F, transformed BP1 and tumorigenic BP1-Tras cells. Glycosylated mucin is elevated in BP1 but reduced in BP1-Tras cells. Using mRNA differential display analysis, cDNA profiles of the 'normal', transformed and tumorigenic cell lines were strikingly similar, yet distinct and elevated expression of several common cDNA fragments was detected in BP1 and BP1-Tras when compared with MCF-10F cells. These fragments were cloned and sequenced. The sequences of clones T1-360 and C4-310 are homologous to two reported EST cDNA clones from human fetal tissue and were further characterized. Elevated expression of the genes corresponding to clones T1-360 and C4-310 was verified using Northern blotting. High-level expression of these genes was also detected in the breast cancer cell line MCF-7 that was derived from the pleural effusion of a patient with advanced breast cancer. Therefore, specific molecular changes associated with breast cancer development were identified and may be indicators of neoplastic progression.