The Role of CXCR3 in Breast Cancer Tumorigenesis in a CXCR3 Over-expressed Murine Model
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Abstract
The interplay between the immune system and cancer neoplasia, tumorigenesis, and metastasis has been thoroughly studied, including the role of various chemokines and their pathways. Expression of the chemokine receptor CXCR3 in breast cancer has been shown to be associated with poor survival in patient studies. Interestingly, CXCR3 is also significant in the Th1 response to infections and therefore may also play a role in lymphocyte trafficking in response to tumorigenesis. We examined the role of CXCR3 in tumorigenesis through comparing transgenic mice that over-expressed CXCR3 to wild type mice, injecting both groups with a Polyoma Middle T antigen cell line to induce tumorigenesis. The spleens of the transgenic mice had lower levels of CD8+ T cells and CD4+ T cells, as well as more significant tumor growth after the four week time point than the wild type mice. Therefore, the results indicate that CXCR3 does play a role in immune cell trafficking in response to tumorigenesis and further work is necessary to better characterize CXCR3's role within this response.