Biological Characteristics and Genetic Heterogeneity between Carcinoma-Associated Fibroblasts and Their Paired Normal Fibroblasts in Human Breast Cancer

Abstract

CAFs have the vigorous ability of proliferation and potential of invasion and migration comparing with NFs. CAFs could promote breast cancer cell invasion under co-culture conditions through up-regulated CCL18 and CXCL12. Consistently with its biologic behavior, the gene expression profiling analyzed by microarray shows that some of key signaling pathways, such as cell cycle, cell adhesion, and secreting factors play an important role in CAFs. The altered ATM signaling pathway is abnormally active in the early stage of breast cancer. The set of immune associated signaling may be involved in tumor cell immune evasion.