LABORATORY RESEARCH Genome-Wide Activity of Unliganded Estrogen Receptor-α in Breast Cancer Cells The authors showed that estrogen receptor-α binds extensively to the genome of breast cancer cells in the absence of estrogen, where it regulates the expression of hundreds of genes endowed with developmental functions. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Abstract Heterogeneity in ERK Activity as Visualized by In Vivo FRET Imaging of Mammary Tumor Cells Developed in MMTV-Neu Mice Investigators live-imaged ERK activity in mammary tumors developed in mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV)-Neu transgenic mice, which had been crossed with transgenic mice expressing a Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) biosensor for ERK. [Oncogene] Abstract Hypothalamic Gene Transfer of BDNF Inhibits Breast Cancer Progression and Metastasis in Middle Age Obese Mice Researchers generated middle age obese mice by high fat diet feeding for a year and investigated the effects of hypothalamic gene transfer of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) on a hormone receptor positive mammary tumor model. [Mol Ther] Abstract Receptor-Interacting Protein Kinase 2 Promotes Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cell Migration and Invasion via Activation of Nuclear Factor-KappaB and C-Jun N-Terminal Kinase Pathways Investigators demonstrate that receptor-interacting protein kinase 2, a kinase known to be involved in inflammatory processes, also has novel roles in cancer cell migration and invasion. [Breast Cancer Res] Abstract | Full Article N-Myc Downstream-Regulated Gene 2 Expression Is Associated with Glucose Transport and Correlated with Prognosis in Breast Carcinoma The authors investigated whether N-myc downstream-regulated gene 2 is involved in any glucose-dependent energy metabolism, and the nature of its correlation with breast carcinoma. [Breast Cancer Res] Abstract | Full Article Snail Family Members Unequally Trigger EMT and Thereby Differ in Their Ability to Promote the Neoplastic Transformation of Mammary Epithelial Cells The authors demonstrated that when a SNAIL protein is ectopically produced in non-transformed mammary epithelial cells, the cells are protected from anoikis and proliferate under low-adherence conditions: a hallmark of cancer cells. [PLoS One] Full Article Functional Proteomic Analysis Reveals the Involvement of KIAA1199 in Breast Cancer Growth, Motility and Invasiveness Reearchers examined the functional significance of KIAA1199 expression in breast cancer growth, motility and invasiveness. [BMC Cancer] Abstract | Full Article Extracellular Matrix Signatures of Human Mammary Carcinoma Identify Novel Metastasis Promoters The authors used proteomics to investigate the extracellular matrix (ECM) of human mammary carcinoma xenografts and showed that primary tumors of differing metastatic potential differ in ECM composition. [eLife] Abstract | Press Release CLINICAL RESEARCH PI3K Pathway Activation in High-Grade Ductal Carcinoma In Situ-Implications for Progression to Invasive Breast Carcinoma The authors assessed the prevalence of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway alterations in pure high-grade ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and DCIS associated with invasive breast cancer (IBC), and determined whether DCIS and adjacent IBCs harbor distinct PI3K pathway aberrations. [Clin Cancer Res] Abstract Androgen Receptor Expression Shows Distinctive Significance in ER Positive and Negative Breast Cancers To investigate the clinical significance of androgen receptor (AR) in breast cancers more precisely, the expression of AR in a large cohort of breast cancer was correlated with clinicopathological features, biomarker expression, and patients’ survival according to different molecular groupings. [Ann Surg Oncol] Abstract Serum Soluble ST2 Is Associated with ER-Positive Breast Cancer The serum levels of interleukin-33, sST2, and vascular endothelial growth factor in 150 breast cancer patients and 90 healthy women were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor, human epithelial receptor-2, and cell cycle regulated protein Ki-67 were measured. [BMC Cancer] Abstract | Full Article |