PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - MUGURUMA, MASAKO AU - ASAOKA, MARIKO AU - TERAOKA, SAEKO AU - MIYAHARA, KANA AU - KAWATE, TAKAHIKO AU - ISHIKAWA, TAKASHI TI - β-Tubulin Isoforms Related to Docetaxel Sensitivity in 2D and 3D Cultured TNBC Cell Lines AID - 10.21873/anticanres.15978 DP - 2022 Oct 01 TA - Anticancer Research PG - 4735--4742 VI - 42 IP - 10 4099 - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/42/10/4735.short 4100 - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/42/10/4735.full SO - Anticancer Res2022 Oct 01; 42 AB - Background/Aim: We previously reported that the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of cisplatin and epirubicin correlated in 13 triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell lines between two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) culture methods. However, the IC50 values of docetaxel (DTX) did not correlate between the two culture methods. We hypothesized that this non-correlation is partly associated with differences in expression of the β-tubulin isoform, the target molecule of DTX and in morphology depending on the culture method. Materials and Methods: We investigated the expression levels of β-tubulin isoforms by real-time polymerase chain reaction and morphology of spheroid formation in the 13 TNBC cell lines cultured using the 2D and 3D culture methods. Results: Tubulin β class I (TUBB) expression levels were negatively correlated with the IC50 value of DTX in the 2D culture method (R=−0.360), whereas tubulin β class IIa (TUBB2a) expression levels were positively correlated in the 3D culture method (R=0.398). There was no significant difference in the expression levels of β-tubulin isoforms between the 2D and 3D culture methods. The spheroids were classified morphologically into three types: round, mass, and grape-like. However, no clear association was found between DTX sensitivity and morphology. Conclusion: The non-correlation of the IC50 values of DTX between the 2D and 3D culture methods does not appear to be due to the changes in β-tubulin isoforms. Morphology in the 3D culture method may play some role in drug sensitivity.