# Defining the Rules of Breast Cancer Cell Traffic Through Bone

> **NIH NIH R01** · DUKE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $375,447

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
 The major cause of death from breast cancer is metastatic relapse, which most commonly occurs first in
the bone. Bone marrow (BM) biopsies performed on women with early stage breast cancer have shown that
small, clinically unapparent “micrometastases” are actually present at the time of diagnosis in many patients.
These micrometastases can survive in the face of adjuvant chemotherapy and lay dormant for years before
they become proliferative, causing overt metastatic disease. At this stage, disease becomes incurable.
 Our increasing understanding of breast cancer biology has revealed to us the importance of the host
tissue in creating a receptive and protective environment for metastases. Preliminary data from our lab using
mouse xenograft models show that breast cancer cells (BCCs) metastasize to and lay dormant in unique
perivascular hematopoietic progenitor and stem cell (HSPC) niches. The blood vessels in these regions are
distinguished by their sinusoidal morphology and their high basal expression of the adhesion molecule E-
selectin, and the cytokine SDF-1. Using highly specific E-selectin and CXCR4 inhibitors, we have identified that
E-selectin and SDF-1 orchestrate opposing roles in BCC trafficking. While E-selectin interactions are critical for
allowing BCC entry in BM, SDF-1/CXCR4 anchors BCCs to the microenvironment and its inhibition induces
mobilization of dormant micrometastases into circulation. Moreover, our immunohistochemical studies of
biopsies performed on patients with micrometastatic BM involvement show that dormant metastases reside
adjacent to SDF-1+ vasculature. Based on these data, we hypothesize that dormant BCCs shelter within
unique peri-sinusoidal vascular BM niches from which they are able to dynamically transit back-and-forth to the
peripheral circulation as well as to alternative, pro-proliferative microenvironments within the bone. We also
hypothesize that interventions such as CXCR4 and E-selectin inhibition can flush dormant BCCs from the
protective sinusoidal niche, making them susceptible to cytotoxic or hormonal therapies. To test these
hypotheses, we will use single cell resolution, video rate in vivo microscopy in mouse xenograft models to track
BCC migration through BM in real time. In combination with in vitro molecular and cellular biology approaches,
we will 1) Investigate the signals that critically regulate BCC metastatic entry in bone; 2) Study the molecular
mechanisms that regulate BCC exit from bone metastatic sites into peripheral circulation and the impact of
mobilization on BCC signaling and viability; and 3) Understand how cross talk with the peri-sinusoidal BM
vascular niche mediates BCC dormancy and sensitivity to chemo- and hormonal therapies. Knowledge gained
from this work will identify fundamental mechanisms governing the dynamic movement of micrometastatic
BCCs and will suggest therapeutic methods to target supportive crosstalk between BM and dormant breast
cancer.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9846208
- **Project number:** 5R01CA197848-04
- **Recipient organization:** DUKE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Dorothy A Sipkins
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $375,447
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-01-09 → 2021-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9846208

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9846208, Defining the Rules of Breast Cancer Cell Traffic Through Bone (5R01CA197848-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9846208. Licensed CC0.

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