Gene Signature of Breast Cancer Cell Lines Treated with Lycopene

Abstract

Among the micronutrients studied in relation between nutrition and cancer, lycopene appears to be a breast cancer preventive phytochemical candidate found in raw tomatoes and tomato-derived products. In order to investigate the responsiveness of breast cancer genes to lycopene and to better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of lycopene, we used an oligonucleotide microarray approach. Human breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) and a fibrocystic breast cell line (MCF-10a) were either exposed or not exposed to 10 µM lycopene for 48 h. Microarrays comprising 202 genes were used to identify genes responsive to lycopene supplementation. Hierarchical clustering revealed a cell line-specific lycopene modulation of breast cells. Based on the observed results, lycopene seems to exert regulation on apoptosis, cell cycle and DNA repair mechanisms according to estrogen and retinoic acid receptor cell status.

Keywords: :

• breast cancer
• gene signature
• lycopene
• microarrays
• transcriptome

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from ‘La Ligue Nationale Française de Lutte Contre le Cancer‘ and ‘Le Comité du Puy-de-Dôme‘. Nassera Chalabi is recipient of a grant from the ‘Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale‘, Laetitia Delort from the ‘Gabrielle Mosnier‘ of Auvergne University, Ludovic Le Corre from the MENRT (Ministère de l‘Education Nationale, de la Recherche et de la Technologie) and Samir Satih from the ‘Département d‘Oncogénétique‘ of Centre Jean Perrin.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by grants from ‘La Ligue Nationale Française de Lutte Contre le Cancer‘ and ‘Le Comité du Puy-de-Dôme‘. Nassera Chalabi is recipient of a grant from the ‘Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale‘, Laetitia Delort from the ‘Gabrielle Mosnier‘ of Auvergne University, Ludovic Le Corre from the MENRT (Ministère de l‘Education Nationale, de la Recherche et de la Technologie) and Samir Satih from the ‘Département d‘Oncogénétique‘ of Centre Jean Perrin.