Fig. 8: Proposed mechanism of exosomal miR-19a and IBSP mediated bone metastasis in ER+ breast cancer. | Nature Communications

Fig. 8: Proposed mechanism of exosomal miR-19a and IBSP mediated bone metastasis in ER+ breast cancer.

From: Exosomal miR-19a and IBSP cooperate to induce osteolytic bone metastasis of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer

Fig. 8

In the early metastatic niche, ER+ breast cancer cells secrete IBSP as a chemoattractant to recruit precursors of OC cells, creating an OC precursor-enriched microenvironment. OC precursors incorporate exosomes from breast cancer cells, and miR-19a is transported into OC precursors. Inside the OC precursors, miR-19a suppresses PTEN expression, activates NF-κB and AKT pathways, and promotes osteoclastogenesis. Mature OC cells induce bone resorption, liberating growth factors from the bone matrix, which further promote the growth of cancer cells.

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