Mammary Cell News Volume 3.25 | Jun 30 2011

New Breast Cancer Risk Model Quantifies the Impact of Risk Reduction
A study described a new model to estimate the impact of lifestyle changes on absolute breast cancer risk, suggesting risk reductions that could translate into a substantial number of prevented cancers across an entire population. [Press release from ScienceDaily discussing online prepublication in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute]

Some Estrogen-Negative Breast Cancer Patients May Benefit from Prostate Cancer Therapy
Scientists have discovered why a subgroup of estrogen-receptor-negative breast cancer patients could benefit from prostate cancer treatments which target the cell’s androgen receptor. [Press release from Cancer Research UK discussing online prepublication in The EMBO Journal]

LABORATORY RESEARCH

Breast Cancer Cells Produce Tenascin C as a Metastatic Niche Component to Colonize the Lungs
Investigators reported that breast cancer cells that infiltrate the lungs support their own metastasis-initiating ability by expressing tenascin C. [Nat Med]

Androgen Receptor Driven Transcription in Molecular Apocrine Breast Cancer Is Mediated by FoxA1
Using a cell line model of estrogen receptor negative and androgen receptor positive (ER− AR+) molecular apocrine tumors, scientists mapped global AR binding events and found a binding profile that is similar to ER binding in breast cancer cells. [EMBO J]

Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Subunit (Cks) 1 or Cks2 Overexpression Overrides the DNA Damage Response Barrier Triggered by Activated Oncoproteins
In this work, researchers showed that overexpression of Cks1 or Cks2 in human mammary epithelial and breast cancer-derived cells, as well as in other cell types, leads to override of the intra–S-phase checkpoint that blocks DNA replication in response to replication stress. [Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A]

Antibody-Dependent Cell Cytotoxicity Synapses Form in Mice During Tumor-Specific Antibody Immunotherapy
Scientists investigated the mechanism of action of a Tn antigen-specific chimeric mAb, which binds selectively to a wide variety of carcinomas, but not to normal tissues, in both humans and mice. [Cancer Res]

RUNX3 Acts as a Tumor Suppressor in Breast Cancer by Targeting Estrogen Receptor α
Consistent with its ability to regulate the levels of ERα, expression of RUNX3 inversely correlates with the expression of ERα in breast cancer cell lines, human breast cancer tissues and Runx3^+/− mouse mammary tumors. By destabilizing ERα, RUNX3 acts as a novel tumor suppressor in breast cancer. [Oncogene]

Effective Targeting of Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cells by PF-4942847, a Novel Oral Inhibitor of Heat Shock Protein 90
The novel oral Hsp90 inhibitor, PF-4942847, is a candidate for clinical development in triple negative breast cancer by collaboratively targeting multiple signaling pathways. Additionally, AKT degradation in peripheral blood lymphocytes may serve as a biomarker in clinical development. [Clin Cancer Res]

FGFR Signaling Promotes the Growth of Triple Negative and Basal-Like Breast Cancer Cell Lines Both In Vitro and In Vivo
Scientists examined the role of fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) signaling in triple negative breast cancer. [Clin Cancer Res]

Methyl Binding Domain Protein 2 (MBD2) Dependent Proliferation and Survival of Breast Cancer Cells 
Researchers showed that stable shRNA mediated knockdown of MBD2 leads to growth suppression of cultured human mammary epithelial cancer lines, SK-BR-3, MDA-MB-231, and MDA-MB-435. [Mol Cancer Res]

Breast Cancer Cells Proliferation Is Regulated by Tyrosine Phosphatase SHP1 through c-Jun N-Terminal Kinase and Co-Operative Induction of RFX1 and AP4 Transcription Factors
Investigators hypothesized that IGF-activated JNK induces expression of SHP-1 in breast cancer cells. To further clarify the role of SHP1 in tumor growth, they correlated the proliferation rates of breast adenocarcinoma cells with SHP1 expression and JNK activation. [Mol Cancer Res]

TAK1-TAB2 Signaling Contributes to Bone Destruction by Breast Carcinoma Cells
This study presented evidence that TGF-β-activated protein kinase 1 (TAK1) signaling in tumor cells promotes bone destruction by metastatic breast carcinoma cells, controlling expression of pro-metastatic factors, including MMP-9 and COX2. [Mol Cancer Res]

Genetic Variation in IGF2, HTRA1, and MMP3 and Breast Cancer Risk Among BRCA1 and BRCA2 Carriers
Scientists investigated additional insulin-like growth factor signaling genes as risk modifiers for breast cancer development in BRCA carriers. [Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev]

CLINICAL RESEARCH

Risk Factor Modification and Projections of Absolute Breast Cancer Risk
Using data from a case–control study of women in Italy (2569 case patients and 2588 control subjects studied from June 1, 1991, to April 1, 1994) and incidence and mortality data from the Florence Registries, investigators developed a model to predict the absolute risk of breast cancer that included five non-modifiable risk factors (reproductive characteristics, education, occupational activity, family history, and biopsy history) and three modifiable risk factors (alcohol consumption, leisure physical activity, and body mass index). [J Natl Cancer Inst]

Prognostic Impact of Phosphorylated HER-2 in HER-2⁺ Primary Breast Cancer
Researchers determined the prognostic value of the expression level of tyrosine 1248–phosphorylated human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2) in patients with HER-2⁺ primary breast cancer using a reverse-phase protein array. [Oncologist]

Roche to Fight for Avastin as Breast Cancer Drug
Drugmaker Roche Holding AG will try to convince U.S. regulators to reverse course on Avastin and approve its use for breast cancer in a hearing. [Reuters]

Scientists Investigate Whether a Blood Test Can Help to Detect Breast Cancer
A study spearheaded by the University of Leicester aims to find out whether a blood test can detect cancer, earlier than current methods, in women with a strong family history of breast cancer. [University of Leicester Press Release]

Atossa Genetics Completes $6.6 Million Over-Subscribed Private Placement
Atossa Genetics, Inc. announced that it has completed a private placement to accredited investors. The transaction was initially targeted to raise $6.0 million but was over-subscribed, raising gross proceeds of $6.6 million. [Atossa Genetics, Inc. Press Release]

Genta Updates Tesetaxel Clinical Trials Progress
Genta Incorporated provided a comprehensive update of its clinical trials programs with tesetaxel. [Genta Incorporated Press Release]

National Institutes of Health (United States)

Food and Drug Administration (United States)

Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (United States)

European Medicines Agency (European Union)

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (United Kingdom)

Therapeutic Goods Administration (Australia)

NEW Cancer Research Global Summit
August 16-17, 2011
London, United Kingdom

NEW American Association for Cancer Research: Tumor Microenvironment Complexity – Emerging Roles in Cancer Therapy
November 3-6, 2011
Orlando, United States

Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the mammary cell community.

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Research and Development Senior Technologist (STEMCELL Technologies)

Lab Technologist – Tissue Culture (Maternity Leave) (STEMCELL Technologies)

Research and Development Technologist, hPSC Media (STEMCELL Technologies)

Scientist (iPSC) (STEMCELL Technologies)

Postdoctoral Position (Tufts Medical Center)

Postdoctoral Fellow (Roswell Park Cancer Institute)

Laboratory Project Scientist (University of California, San Diego)

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