Positive feedback loop between mitochondrial fission and Notch signaling promotes survivin-mediated survival of TNBC cells

Mitochondrial morphology is remodeled by continuous dynamic cycles of fission and fusion. Emerging data have shown that the disturbance of balance between mitochondrial fission and fusion is involved in the progression of several types of neoplasms. However, the status of mitochondrial dynamics and its potential biological roles in breast cancer (BC), particularly in triple negative BC (TNBC) are not fully clear. Here, we reported that the mitochondrial fission was significantly increased in BC tissues, especially in the TNBC tissues, when compared with that in the corresponding peritumor tissues. Meanwhile, our data showed that Drp1 was upregulated, while Mfn1 was downregulated in TNBC. Moreover, elevated mitochondrial fission was associated with poorer prognosis in TNBC patients. Mitochondrial fission promoted the survival of TNBC cells both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, we identified a positive feedback loop between mitochondrial fission and Notch signaling pathway in TNBC cells, as proved by the experimental evidence that the activation of Notch signaling enhanced Drp1-mediated mitochondrial fission and Drp1-mediated mitochondrial fission in turn promoted the activation of Notch signaling, which ultimately promoted the cell survival of TNBC via increasing survivin expression level. Inhibition of either Notch1 or Drp1 significantly impaired the activation of the other, leading to the suppression of TNBC cell survival and proliferation. Collectively, our data reveal a novel mechanism that the positive feedback loop between mitochondrial fission and Notch signaling promotes the survival, proliferation and apoptotic resistance of TNBC cells via increasing survivin expression and thus favors cancer progression.