Language

English

Publication Date

6-1-2025

Journal

British Journal of Pharmacology

DOI

10.1111/bph.17463

PMID

39965212

Abstract

Background and purpose: We and others have previously shown that ADGRF1, an adhesion G protein-coupled receptor, is overexpressed and associated with poor survival in many cancers, including human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) breast cancer (BC). Also, we have reported the tumour-promoting function of ADGRF1 using preclinical models of HER2+ BC. In this study, we investigated the effect of ADGRF1 overexpression in an orthotopic in vivo model as well as downstream signalling of ADGRF1 in HER2+ BC.

Experimental approach: We utilized a doxycycline (Dox)-induced ADGRF1 overexpression system in HER2+ BC cell lines and performed various in vitro and in vivo studies. Following ADGRF1 overexpression in the presence/absence of Matrigel, laminin-111 or collagen-IV, we performed the mammosphere assay to assess the tumorigenicity of breast epithelial cells, as well as cAMP/IP1 assays and RNA-sequencing, to understand the receptor function and pharmacology. We conducted cross-linking-aided immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry to confirm the physical interaction between ADGRF1 and the extracellular matrix proteins present in Matrigel.

Key results: We found that ADGRF1 switched from a tumour-promoting to tumour-suppressive function upon interaction with laminin-111. Interaction of ADGRF1 with laminin-111 resulted in inhibition of Gαs coupling and STAT3 phosphorylation, induction of senescence, increase in HER2 expression, and improvement of sensitivity to anti-HER2 drugs in HER2+ BC.

Conclusions: ADGRF1 switches from a tumour-promoting to tumour-suppressive function upon interaction with laminin-111, leading to improvements in sensitivity to anti-HER2 drugs. Leveraging ADGRF1 interactions with laminin-111 may allow the design of novel therapies against ADGRF1 in HER2+ BC.

Keywords

Humans, Breast Neoplasms, Female, Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases, Animals, Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled, Mice, Extracellular Matrix Proteins, Carcinogenesis, Cell Line, Tumor, Laminin, Mice, Nude, ADGRF1, GPCRs, breast cancer, drug target

Published Open-Access

yes

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