Inter- and intra-tumoral ALDH1 heterogeneity in breast cancer identifies therapeutic opportunities for ALDH1A-specific inhibitors

Basal-like breast cancer is an aggressive subtype with limited therapeutic options. Here, transcriptomic analysis of public datasets suggested distinct subtype- and cell-specific expression patterns of ALDH1A isoforms in breast tumors, with ALDH1A3 predominantly expressed in the epithelial cells of...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Pequerul Pavón, Raquel|||0000-0002-0008-975X, Constantinescu, Andrada, Janji, Bassam, Kumar, Akinchan, Baier, Céline, Manosalva, Iris, Parés i Casasampera, Xavier|||0000-0002-5071-9465, Palacios, Òscar|||0000-0002-2987-7303, Spicuglia, Salvatore, Colignon, Delphine, Berrou, Axelle, Fournet, Guy, Berchard, Paul, Martin, Guillaume, Ceylan, Ismail|||0000-0002-7491-9269, Rebollido-Rios, Rocio|||0000-0002-8910-867X, Farrés, Jaume|||0000-0001-9069-3987, Pérez-Alea, Mileidys|||0000-0002-8739-8087
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:321909
Acceso en línea:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/321909
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.1016/j.chembiol.2025.09.003
Access Level:acceso embargado
Palabra clave:Bulk and single-cell transcriptomic analysis
Prognostic biomarker
Chemoresistance
Isoform-specific inhibition
TNBC
Triple-negative breast cancer
Breast cancer
ALDH1A3
ALDH1A2
ALDH
Aldehyde dehydrogenase
Descripción
Sumario:Basal-like breast cancer is an aggressive subtype with limited therapeutic options. Here, transcriptomic analysis of public datasets suggested distinct subtype- and cell-specific expression patterns of ALDH1A isoforms in breast tumors, with ALDH1A3 predominantly expressed in the epithelial cells of basal-like tumors, whereas ALDH1A2 and ALDH1A1 were enriched in stromal and immune-associated subpopulations. High expression of ALDH1A3 and ALDH1A2, but not ALDH1A1, is associated with poor prognosis in high-grade, lymph-node-positive tumors. To evaluate therapeutic targeting, we developed ABD0171, an irreversible, selective ALDH1A3 inhibitor with additional ALDH1A1 activity. ABD0171 disrupted key oncogenic pathways, including IL6/JAK/STAT3, tPA, and Src/FAK, resulting in robust antitumor and antimetastatic effects in vitro and in vivo, with a favorable safety profile. These findings establish ALDH1A3 as a therapeutic target in breast cancers with epithelial-basal traits and validate ABD0171 as a promising clinical candidate to address current treatment challenges.