Silencing CD151 gene in donor triple-negative breast cancer cells attenuates exosome-driven functions of recipient cells

Abstract

CD151 is a tetraspanin, abnormally expressed in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). It is a prominent component of exosomes, facilitating the secretion of proteins that promote metastasis and drug resistance. We have previously demonstrated that silencing the CD151 gene reduces metastasis in TNBC. The present study aims to investigate whether silencing the CD151 gene inhibits exosome release and uptake, thereby attenuating donor exosome-mediated functions in recipient cells. Our study found that CD151 expression was negatively correlated with BRCA1 and BRCA2, while it positively correlated with Annexin A2. CD151-positive exosomes were elevated in TNBC cells compared to normal breast epithelial cells. TNBC-derived CD151 exosomes exhibited distinctive structural and phenotypic properties, including expression of CD63 and CD151. They demonstrated functional activities in exosome-cell co-cultures, including the induction of proliferation and mRNA expression of cyclin D1, CDK4, and CDK6 in recipient normal breast, lung, and liver epithelial cells. To further explore the mechanistic role of CD151 in exosome-mediated communication, we isolated iCD151-exosomes and CD151-exosomes from donor TNBC cells with and without CD151 gene silencing, respectively. CD151 exosomes and iCD151 exosomes displayed distinct proteomic profiles, notably Annexin A2 and EGFR, each with specific cellular and molecular functions in vesicle budding and fusion. CD151-exosomes induced a higher migration ability in recipient non-metastatic MCF-7 breast cancer cells and capillary formation by endothelial cells compared to iCD151-exosomes. Additionally, the CD151 exosome induced higher mRNA expression of cyclin D1, CDK4, CDK6, MMP-2, and MMP-9 in MCF-7 cells and VEGF in endothelial cells compared to iCD151 exosomes. These findings demonstrate the potential role of CD151 in orchestrating exosome dynamics for the remodeling of either the adjacent tissue or those in distant organs by transferring metastatic phenotypes from TNBC cells to recipient cells.