CD151 enrichment in exosomes of luminal androgen receptor breast cancer cell line contributes to cell invasion

Breast cancer is the most common and highly heterogeneous disease in women worldwide. Given the challenges in the treatment of advanced metastatic breast cancer, it is necessary to understand the molecular mechanisms related to disease progression. Exosomes play various roles in the progression of tumors, including promoting the invasion and advancing the distant metastasis. To study the molecular mechanisms related to the progression of luminal androgen receptor (LAR) breast cancer, we first isolated exosomes of MDA-MB-453 cells, a representative cell line of LAR. Through quantitative proteomic analysis, we identified 180 proteins specifically enriched in exosomes after comparing with those in cells, microvesicles, and the 150K supernatant. Among these, CD151, a protein involved in the regulation of cell motility was the most enriched one. CD151-knockdown exosomes reduced the invasion ability of the recipient breast cancer cell and lowered the phosphorylation level of tyrosine-protein kinase Lck, indicating that the invasion of LAR breast cancer may be due to CD151-enriched exosomes. Our work reports for the first time that CD151 was highly abundant in the exosomes of MDA-MB-453 cells and expands the understanding of the development process of LAR subtype, suggesting CD151 may be a potential candidate for the treatment of LAR breast cancer.