IL-8 signaling plays a critical role in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition of human carcinoma cells
Menée in vitro, cette étude identifie le rôle clé joué par la voie de signalisation de l'interleukine 8 dans la transition épithélio-mésenchymateuse de cellules cancéreuses
The switch of tumor cells from an epithelial to a mesenchymal-like phenotype (designated as epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, EMT) is known to induce tumor cell motility and invasiveness, therefore promoting metastasis of solid carcinomas. While multiple studies have focused on elucidating the signaling events that initiate this phenotypic switch, there has been so far no characterization of the pattern of soluble mediators released by tumor cells undergoing EMT, and the potential impact that this phenotypic switch could have on the remodeling of the tumor microenvironment. Here we demonstrate that induction of EMT in human carcinoma cells via overexpression of the transcription factor Brachyury is associated with enhanced secretion of multiple cytokines, chemokines, and angiogenic factors and, in particular, with the induction of the IL-8/IL-8R axis. Our results also indicate the essential role of IL-8 signaling for the acquisition and/or maintenance of the mesenchymal and invasive features of Brachyury-overexpressing tumor cells, and demonstrate that IL-8 secreted by tumor cells undergoing EMT could potentiate tumor progression by inducing adjacent epithelial tumor cells into EMT. Altogether, our results emphasize the potential role of EMT in the modulation of the tumor microenvironment via secretion of multiple soluble mediators and suggest that IL-8 signaling blockade may provide a means of targeting mesenchymal-like, invasive tumor cells.