Abstract 2368: Autotaxin/Enpp2 controls of bone metastasis formation through osteoclast function

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Autotaxin (ATX, NPP-2) is a secreted protein with both an oncogenic action on mouse breast tissue and metastatic properties on breast cancer cells. Due to its lysophospholipase D activity, ATX generates lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) from lysophosphatidylcholine and controls LPA levels in the blood. We have recently showed that platelet-derived LPA promotes the progression of osteolytic bone metastases of breast cancer cells. However, how LPA is produced at the metastatic site and the role of ATX by cancer cells in this metastasis process are still unknown. Here, we found that in vitro, forced expression of ATX in human breast cancer MDA-B02 cells (MDA-B02/ATX) increased invasiness, proliferation and enhanced their pro-osteoclastic function. In vivo, intravenous injection of MDA-B02/ATX cells to inmmunodeficiency BALB/C nude mice enhanced osteolytic bone metastasis formation, as judged by increased bone loss and tumor burden, and higher active osteoclast number at the bone metastatic site. Mouse 4T1 breast cancer cells induced the formation of osteolytic bone metastases after intracardiac injection in immunocompetent BALB/C mice. We found that 4T1 cells expressed active ATX. In vitro, silencing ATX[O1] expression inhibited invasion but not proliferation of 4T1-siATX cells. In vivo, silencing ATX expression inhibited the extent of osteolytic bone lesions and decreased the number of active osteoclasts at bone the metastatic site. Altogether, these results demonstrated that expression of ATX by cancer cells controls bone metastasis formation and that targeting ATX in patients might contribute to the development of additional therapies against bone metastases. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2368.