Exostosin 1 regulates cancer cell stemness in doxorubicin-resistant breast cancer cells

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are associated with cancer recurrence following radio/chemotherapy owing to their high resistance to therapeutic intervention. In this study, we investigated the role of exostoxin 1 (EXT1), an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-residing type II transmembrane glycoprotein, in cancer cell stemness. DNA microarray analysis revealed that doxorubicin-resistant MCF7/ADR cells have high levels of EXT1 expression compared to its parental cell line, MCF7. These cells showed significantly higher populations of CSCs and larger populations of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH(+)) and CD44(+)/CD24(-)cells, as compared to MCF7 cells. siRNA-mediated knockdown of EXT1 in MCF7/ADR cells significantly reduced cancer stem cell markers, populations of ALDH(+)and CD44(+)/CD24(-) cells, mRNA and protein expression for CD44, and mammosphere number. Furthermore, epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers and migratory behavior were also repressed with reduced EXT1. In an in vitro soft agar colony formation assay, EXT1 knockdown by short hairpin RNA (shRNA) reduced the colony formation ability of these cells. Based on these results, we suggest that EXT1 could be a promising novel target to overcome cancer cell stemness in anthracycline-based therapeutic resistance.