Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of zinc endopeptidases capable of digesting the extracellular matrix (ECM), which is essential for tissue structure and transmitting messages between cells. MMPs play an important role in cancer, controlling cell migration, proliferation, apoptosis, regulation of tumour expansion, angiogenesis and invasion. Previous research has indicated high expression of MT1-MMP in breast cancers suggesting a potential role in tumour progression. Our results confirm that 3D multicellular tumour spheroids (MCTS) using phenotype-specific breast cancer cell lines are a valuable experimental model of the tumour microenvironment. Optimisation of MCTS culture growth conditions using different breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7, T47D, MDA-MB-468 and MDA-MB-231) was performed. Unexpected detection of MT1-MMP in MCF-7 MCTS warranted further investigation. MT1-MMP expression in different micro-environmental conditions, including hypoxia and nutrient deprivation (serum-free induced autophagy) were measured in MCF-7 monolayer cultures and MCTS models using immunofluorescence (IF), immunohistochemistry (IHC) and western blot (WB). MT1-MMP expression was rapidly and irreversibly up-regulated in MCF-7 breast cancer cells under conditions of stress (hypoxia and autophagy) compared to normal conditions suggesting an important role of the culture environment on cells behaviour and protein expression. We employed isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) technology to correlate MT1-MMP increase with proteomic profiles in MCF-7 breast cancer cell grown under hypoxic, serum-free and 3D MCTS conditions. More than 3500 proteins were identified, which were clustered into groups based on response to unique or shared microenvironment changes. Hypoxic monolayer and spheroid cells exhibited changes in anaerobic metabolism and lipid synthesis, respectively, whereas autophagy resulted in up-regulation of cellular component disassembly. The result indicated multiple drivers of MT1-MMP expression in MCF-7 cells. / Al-Mstansiriya University, Iraq

To optimize neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the value of new irradiation modalities such as proton therapy needs to be investigated in relevant preclinical models. We studied individual treatment responses to RCT using patient-derived PDAC organoids (PDO). Four PDO lines were treated with gemcitabine, 5-fluorouracile (5FU), photon and proton irradiation and combined RCT. Therapy response was subsequently measured via viability assays. In addition, treatment-naive PDOs were characterized via whole exome sequencing and tumorigenicity was investigated in NMRI Foxn1nu/nu mice. We found a mutational pattern containing common mutations associated with PDAC within the PDOs. Although we could unravel potential complications of the viability assay for PDOs in radiobiology, distinct synergistic effects of gemcitabine and 5FU with proton irradiation were observed in two PDO lines that may lead to further mechanistical studies. We could demonstrate that PDOs are a powerful tool for translational proton radiation research.

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