{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T00:52:58Z","timestamp":1790729578060,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":85,"publisher":"American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)","issue":"661","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sci. Transl. Med."],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,7]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Brain metastasis is a complication of increasing incidence in patients with breast cancer at advanced disease stage. It is a severe condition characterized by a rapid decline in quality of life and poor prognosis. There is a critical clinical need to develop effective therapies to prevent and treat brain metastases. Here, we describe a unique and robust spontaneous preclinical model of breast cancer metastasis to the brain (4T1-BM\n                    <jats:sub>2<\/jats:sub>\n                    ) in mice that has been instrumental in uncovering molecular mechanisms guiding metastatic dissemination and colonization of the brain. Key experimental findings were validated in the additional murine D2A1-BM\n                    <jats:sub>2<\/jats:sub>\n                    model and in human MDA231-BrM\n                    <jats:sub>2<\/jats:sub>\n                    model. Gene expression analyses and functional studies, coupled with clinical transcriptomic and histopathological investigations, identified connexins (Cxs) and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) as master molecules orchestrating breast cancer colonization of the brain. Cx31 promoted homotypic tumor cell adhesion, heterotypic tumor-astrocyte interaction, and FAK phosphorylation. FAK signaling prompted NF-\u03baB activation inducing Lamc2 expression and laminin 332 (laminin 5) deposition, \u03b16 integrin\u2013mediated adhesion, and sustained survival and growth within brain parenchyma. In the MDA231-BrM\n                    <jats:sub>2<\/jats:sub>\n                    model, the human homologous molecules CX43, LAMA4, and \u03b13 integrin were involved. Systemic treatment with FAK inhibitors reduced brain metastasis progression. In conclusion, we report a spontaneous model of breast cancer metastasis to the brain and identified Cx-mediated FAK\u2013NF-\u03baB signaling as a mechanism promoting cell-autonomous and microenvironmentally controlled cell survival for brain colonization. Considering the limited therapeutic options for brain metastatic disease in cancer patients, we propose FAK as a therapeutic candidate to further pursue in the clinic.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1126\/scitranslmed.aax8933","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,7]],"date-time":"2022-09-07T13:58:12Z","timestamp":1662559092000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":52,"title":["Connexins orchestrate progression of breast cancer metastasis to the brain by promoting FAK activation"],"prefix":"10.1126","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2807-3207","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Girieca","family":"Lorusso","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Experimental and Translational Oncology, Pathology Unit, Department of Oncology Microbiology and Immunology (OMI), Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg 1700, Switzerland."},{"name":"Division of Experimental Oncology, Multidisciplinary Oncology 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