Wild-Type N-Ras, Overexpressed in Basal-like Breast Cancer, Promotes Tumor Formation by Inducing IL-8 Secretion via JAK2 Activation

Basal-like breast cancers (BLBCs) are aggressive, and their drivers are unclear. We have found that wild-type N-RAS is overexpressed in BLBCs but not in other breast cancer subtypes. Repressing N-RAS inhibits transformation and tumor growth, whereas overexpression enhances these processes even in preinvasive BLBC cells. We identified N-Ras-responsive genes, most of which encode chemokines; e.g., IL8. Expression levels of these chemokines and N-RAS in tumors correlate with outcome. N-Ras, but not K-Ras, induces IL-8 by binding and activating the cytoplasmic pool of JAK2; IL-8 then acts on both the cancer cells and stromal fibroblasts. Thus, BLBC progression is promoted by increasing activities of wild-type N-Ras, which mediates autocrine/paracrine signaling that can influence both cancer and stroma cells. [Display omitted] •N-RAS is more highly expressed in BLBCs than in other breast cancer subtypes•N-Ras promotes tumorigenesis even in preinvasive and untransformed cells•N-Ras binds and activates cytoplasmic JAK2, leading to efficient IL-8 induction•IL-8 not only stimulates BLBC cells but may also influence stromal fibroblasts Zheng et al. find that wild-type N-Ras, overexpressed in basal-like breast cancer, promotes tumor formation by activating cytoplasmic JAK2, leading to IL-8 induction. This stimulates cancer cells themselves and possibly also stromal fibroblasts, thus creating a proinvasive microenvironment.