Nuclear Factor Kappa B (NFB): A Key Factor involved in Hypoxia-induced Chemoresistance and Stemness of Breast Cancer Cells

Hypoxia induced nuclear factor kappa B (NFB) promotes signalling pathways involved in the inflammatory response through the regulation of gene expression of proinflammatory cytokines, adhesion molecules, enzymes, and pro-inflammatory enzymes. NFB, a family of transcription factors is one of the many transcription factors activated during hypoxia to ensure the survival of cells during hypoxic insults. It is widely overexpressed in many cancers such as pancreatic cancers, breast cancer, brain cancer, colon cancer, and its antiapoptotic properties inhibits apoptosis enabling the survival of hypoxic insult in cancer cells. Hypoxia induced NFB activation is also believed to contribute to the maintenance of cancer stem cells (CSCs) during the development and progression of tumors, this study was performed to evaluate the response of these overexpressing NFBp65 to anticancer drugs and to determine if it affects invasion and migration in cancer cell lines. Data from MTT analysis, western blot, invasion, and migration analysis and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FASC) showed that cells overexpressing with NFBp65 induces CSC-like characteristics in breast cancer cell line; the cells were significantly resistance to several chemotherapeutic drugs and cells displayed high migratory and invasive potentials, therefore NFBp65 induces these CSC-like phenotype leading to chemoresistance.