Role of netrins and their receptors in the persistence of disseminated breast cancer cells in the human bone marrow

Introduction: The family of netrins is not only involved in normal tissue development, but also in different types of malignancies. In primary breast cancer there is a strong correlation between the overexpression of netrin-1 and the state of the disease and the generation of metastases. The impact on the persistence of disseminated tumor cells in the bone marrow, however, is largely unknown. In the present study we demonstrate the expression of netrins and their receptors in different cell types of the bone marrow stem cell niches and in breast cancer cells (BCC). Methods: Netrins and their receptors were analy…