Mammary Cell News Volume 8.24 | Jun 23 2016

TOP STORY

Holy Grail of Breast Cancer Prevention in High-Risk Women May Be in Sight

Researchers have discovered that an existing medication could have promise in preventing breast cancer in women carrying a faulty BRCA1 gene. By pinpointing the cells that give rise to breast cancers in women who have inherited a faulty version of the BRCA1 gene, researchers have identified that the drug denosumab may have potential to prevent breast cancer from developing. [Press release from Walter and Eliza Hall Institute discussing online prepublication in Nature Medicine] Press Release | Abstract

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

LABORATORY RESEARCH

PTP1B Controls Non-Mitochondrial Oxygen Consumption by Regulating RNF213 to Promote Tumor Survival during Hypoxia

Researchers found that protein-tyrosine phosphatase-1B (PTP1B)-deficient HER2⁺ xenografts have increased hypoxia, necrosis and impaired growth. In vitro, PTP1B deficiency sensitizes HER2⁺ breast cancer lines to hypoxia by increasing non-mitochondrial oxygen consumption by α-KG-dependent dioxygenases. [Nat Cell Biol] Abstract | Press Release

miR-214 and miR-148b Targeting Inhibits Dissemination of Melanoma and Breast Cancer

miR-214 and miR-148b have been proposed to antagonize the effects of each other in enabling or blocking metastasis, respectively. Researchers provide evidence deepening their role and interrelationship in the process of metastatic dissemination. [Cancer Res] Abstract

HOXC10 Expression Supports the Development of Chemotherapy Resistance by Fine Tuning DNA Repair in Breast Cancer Cells

Scientists found that HOXC10 promotes survival in cells treated with doxorubicin, paclitaxel or carboplatin by suppressing apoptosis and upregulating NF-κB. Overexpressed HOXC10 increases S-phase specific DNA damage repair by homologous recombination and checkpoint recovery in cells at three important phases. [Cancer Res] Abstract

Cbx8 Acts Non-Canonically with Wdr5 to Promote Mammary Tumorigenesis

Using murine mammary carcinoma-derived tumorspheres as a functional readout for an aggressive breast cancer phenotype, the authors performed a loss-of-function screen targeting 60 epigenetic regulators. They identified the Polycomb protein Cbx8 as a key regulator of mammary carcinoma both in vitro and in vivo. [Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

Tyrosine Phosphorylation Regulates ERβ Ubiquitination, Protein Turnover, and Inhibition of Breast Cancer

Researchers identified a phosphotyrosine residue in estrogen receptor β (ERβ), but not ERα, that dictates ERβ transcriptional activity and antitumor function. They showed here that this ER isotype-specific phosphotyrosine switch is important for regulating ERβ activity in cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. [Oncotarget] Full Article

The Relevance of Using 3D Cell Cultures, in Addition to 2D Monolayer Cultures, When Evaluating Breast Cancer Drug Sensitivity and Resistance

Using HER2-positive breast cancer cell lines as models, the effects of culturing cells in 3D using the poly-HEMA method compared to 2D cultures were assessed in terms of cellular viability, response/resistance to anti-cancer drugs, protein expression and enzyme activity. [Oncotarget] Full Article

β2-Adrenoceptors on Tumor Cells Play a Critical Role in Stress-Enhanced Metastasis in a Mouse Model of Breast Cancer

To investigate the contribution of β₂ adrenoceptors (ARs) signaling in tumor cells to metastasis in vivo, scientists used RNA interference to generate MDA-MB-231^HM breast cancer cells that are deficient in β₂AR. β₂AR knockdown in tumor cells reduced the proportion of cells with a mesenchymal-like morphology and, as expected, reduced tumor cell invasion in vitro. [Brain Behav Immun] Full Article

BRCA1-Deficient Breast Cancer Cell Lines Are Resistant to MEK Inhibitors and Show Distinct Sensitivities to 6-Thioguanine

Investigators evaluated the anti-proliferative activity of 198 FDA-approved and experimental drugs against four BRCA1-mutant and four BRCA1-wild-type breast cancer cell lines. They found that all BRCA1-mutant cell lines were insensitive to inhibitors of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 and 2 (MEK1/2) Selumetinib and Pimasertib in contrast to BRCA1-wildtype control cell lines. [Sci Rep] Full Article

EMMPRIN Down-Regulating miR-106a/b Modifies Breast Cancer Stem-Like Cell Properties via Interaction with Fibroblasts through STAT3 and HIF-1α

Scientists investigated the effects of fibroblasts on breast cancer stem-like cells. They found that fibroblasts activated by co-cultured breast cancer cells produced higher levels of extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer, which stimulated the stem-like cell specific, self-renewal and sphere-forming phenotype in breast cancer cells. [Sci Rep] Full Article

CLINICAL RESEARCH

Low-Dose Oral Cyclophosphamide and Methotrexate Maintenance for Hormone Receptor-Negative Early Breast Cancer: International Breast Cancer Study Group Trial 22-00

Investigators evaluated the benefit of low-dose cyclophosphamide and methotrexate maintenance, which previously demonstrated antitumor activity and few adverse effects in advanced breast cancer, in early breast cancer. [J Clin Oncol] Abstract

Mesenchymal Tumors of the Breast and Their Mimics: A Review with Approach to Diagnosis

The reviewers provide a diagnostic approach to specific challenging mesenchymal tumors of the breast and their mimics, with a discussion on the salient morphological, immunohistochemical and molecular features that allow accurate diagnosis and will help the pathologist avoid potential pitfalls. [Pathology] Abstract

Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the mammary cell research field.

TapImmune Doses First Patient in Its Phase II Triple Negative Breast Cancer Trial for Cancer Vaccine TPIV 200

TapImmune, Inc. announced reaching a major milestone of dosing its first patient in a Phase II trial for triple negative breast cancer with its cancer vaccine TPIV 200. The first patient enrolled is being treated at the University of Maryland – one of eight sites being used in this study, conducted and funded by TapImmune. [TapImmune, Inc.] Press Release

First Patients Enrolled in United Kingdom’s National Health Service Sponsored Clinical and Economic Study of Using MarginProbe™ During Breast Surgeries

Dune Medical Devices announced that the first patients have been enrolled in a United Kingdom’s National Institute of Health Research subdivision of the National Health Service sponsored research study on surgical margins in breast conserving surgery using Dune Medical’s groundbreaking MarginProbe™ breast-cancer surgical assessment device. [Dune Medical Devices] Press Release

NEW International Conference on Stem Cell Engineering 2016
October 23-26, 2016
Toronto, Canada

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

NEW Postdoctoral Associate – Premalignant Progression to Invasive Breast Cancer (Tulane Medical School)

NEW Postdoctoral Researcher – Physiology and Medical Physics (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland)

Research Technologist – Mammary and Prostate Stem Cell Biology (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Molecular Genetics of Breast Cancer (German Cancer Research Centre)

Postdoctoral Researcher – Aheransotic Agents against Intracellular Cancer Targets (University of Oxford)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Cancer Research (German Cancer Research Center)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Proteogenomic Bioinformatics of Breast Cancer (Lund University)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Mammary Gland Biology and Breast Cancer (University of Amsterdam)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Cancer Biology (Hamad bin Khalifa University)

PhD Fellow – Small X-Ray Angle for Breast Cancer Diagnosis (CEA Tech)

Postdoctoral Fellow(s) – Various Projects (National University of Singapore)

Research Associate – Various Medical Disciplines (Jinan University)

Postdoctoral Fellow – RNA Splicing in Breast Cancer (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)

Scientist – Cancer Research (Institute of Clinical Physiology)

Manager – Medical and Breast Imaging (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Director Clinical Research – Medical Oncology (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Recruit Top Talent: Reach potential candidates by posting your organization’s career opportunities on the Connexon Creative Job Board at no cost.

Have we missed an important article or publication in Mammary Cell News? Click here to submit!

Comments or suggestions? Submit your feedback here.