ArticleBritish journal of cancer2014
Cancer-associated fibroblasts induce epithelial-mesenchymal transition of breast cancer cells through paracrine TGF-β signalling.
Article in British journal of cancer, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 410 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
410 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 671 citations in OpenAlex.
- An updated systemic review and meta-analysis on human papillomavirus in breast carcinogenesis.Frontiers in oncology · 2023Pooled it
- Review
- Matrix Stiffness Drives Aggressive Phenotype in Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma via Mechanotransduction-Stromal Signalling.International dental journal · 2026Article
- ISPAT-3D: Spatially Varying Conditional Volumetric Network Estimation for 3D Tumor Imaging.Research square · 2026Article
- COMP-PMEPA1 axis promotes epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in breast cancer cells.Molecular oncology · 2026Article
- Patient-specific lung cancer tumoroids recapitulate the tumor microenvironments for functional evaluation of therapeutic responses and immune-stromal interactions.Journal of translational medicine · 2026Article
- N-Orbit: towards a universal model and metric for comparing tissue microenvironments.Nature communications · 2026Article
- CAFs and Endocrine Therapy Resistance in Hormone Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Multitargeted nanoparticles inhibit cancer invasion by disrupting cancer-associated fibroblast-tumor cell crosstalk and modulating collagen pattern and EMT.Journal of nanobiotechnology · 2026Article
- CALR/HIF-1α Positive Feedback Loop Drives CALR Upregulation to Promote EMT-Mediated Bladder Cancer Progression via ROS/AKT Axis.Cancer science · 2026Article
- ISPAT-3D: Spatially Varying Conditional Volumetric Network Estimation for 3D Tumor Imaging.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- In vivo exposure to CXCL12-high CAFs and chronic CXCL12 stimulation in vitro is sufficient to enhance metastasis of ER-positive breast cancer.Breast cancer research and treatment · 2026Article
- Patient-Derived Procoagulant Breast Fibroblasts Expressing Tissue Factor Promote Breast Cancer Cell Migration.Journal of mammary gland biology and neoplasia · 2026Article
- Recent Advancements in Bioactive Natural Products and Nanoparticle-Mediated Drug Delivery in Cancer Therapy.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Breast cancer brain metastasis: from molecular insights to therapeutic innovation.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Context-dependent regulation of SIX1 by ETS1 within EMT-associated transcriptional networks.Turkish journal of biology = Turk biyoloji dergisi · 2026Article
- Identification, functional insights and therapeutic targeting of EMT tumour states.Nature reviews. Cancer · 2026Review
- Fibroblast Activation Protein Alpha-Targeted Nanoparticles for Tumor Microenvironment Remodeling and Antitumor Therapy in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.Biomaterials research · 2026Article
- The Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity of Tumor-Associated Stromal Cells: Reprogramming Plasticity to Unlock Precision Cancer Immunotherapy.Cancer communications (London, England) · 2026Review
- Tumor-associated endothelial cells in tumor immune escape and immunotherapy: multifaceted roles and treatment approaches.Biomarker research · 2025Review
350 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) activated by tumour cells are the predominant type of stromal cells in breast cancer tissue. The reciprocal effect of CAFs on breast cancer cells and the underlying molecular mechanisms are not fully characterised.
methodsStromal fibroblasts were isolated from invasive breast cancer tissues and the conditioned medium of cultured CAFs (CAF-CM) was collected to culture the breast cancer cell lines MCF-7, T47D and MDA-MB-231. Neutralising antibody and small-molecule inhibitor were used to block the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signalling derived from CAF-CM, which effect on breast cancer cells.
resultsThe stromal fibroblasts isolated from breast cancer tissues showed CAF characteristics with high expression levels of α-smooth muscle actin and SDF1/CXCL12. The CAF-CM transformed breast cancer cell lines into more aggressive phenotypes, including enhanced cell-extracellular matrix adhesion, migration and invasion, and promoted epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Cancer-associated fibroblasts secreted more TGF-β1 than TGF-β2 and TGF-β3, and activated the TGF-β/Smad signalling pathway in breast cancer cells. The EMT phenotype of breast cancer cells induced by CAF-CM was reversed by blocking TGF-β1 signalling.
conclusionCancer-associated fibroblasts promoted aggressive phenotypes of breast cancer cells through EMT induced by paracrine TGF-β1. This might be a common mechanism for acquiring metastatic potential in breast cancer cells with different biological characteristics.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.