Survival benefit of sphingosin-1-phosphate and receptors expressions in breast cancer patients

Abstract

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a bioactive lipid that exerts various pathophysiological functions through binding to its receptor family (S1PRs). Since first report of the breast cancer (BCA) promoting function by S1P production (through the function of sphingosine kinases) and S1P/S1PR signaling, their antagonists have never been successfully progress to clinics after three decades. Taking advantage of bioinformatics linking to gene expression to disease prognosis, we examined the impact of associated genes in BCA patients. We found high gene expressions involved in S1P anabolism suppressed disease progression of patients who are basal cell type BCA or receiving adjuvant therapy. In addition, S1PRs expression also suppressed disease progress of multiple categories of BCA patient progression. This result is contradictory to tumor promoter role of S1P/S1PRs which revealed in the literature. Further examination by directly adding S1P in BCA cells found a cell growth suppression function, which act via the expression of S1PR1. In conclusion, our study is the first evidence claiming a survival benefit function of S1P/S1PR signaling in BCA patients, which might explain the obstacle of relative antagonist apply in clinics.