Mammary Cell News Volume 8.31 | Aug 11 2016

TOP STORY

Aromatase Inhibition Remodels the Clonal Architecture of Estrogen-Receptor-Positive Breast Cancers

Resistance to oestrogen-deprivation therapy is common in oestrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer. To better understand the contributions of tumor heterogeneity and evolution to resistance, researchers performed comprehensive genomic characterization of 22 primary tumors sampled before and after four months of neoadjuvant aromatase inhibitor treatment. [Nat Commun] Full Article | Press Release

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

LABORATORY RESEARCH

Nuclear Repartitioning of Galectin-1 by an Extracellular Glycan Switch Regulates Mammary Morphogenesis

Investigators showed that galectin-1, an endogenous lectin that recognizes glycans bearing N-acetyllactosamine epitopes, induces branching migration of mammary epithelia in vivo, ex vivo, and in 3D organotypic cultures. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Abstract

Tissue Stiffness and Hypoxia Modulate the Integrin-Linked Kinase ILK to Control Breast Cancer Stem-Like Cells

Investigators report that stiff and hypoxic microenvironments promote the development of breast cancer stem-like cells (CSC) through modulation of the integrin-linked kinase ILK. Depleting ILK blocked stiffness and hypoxia-dependent acquisition of CSC marker expression and behavior, whereas ectopic expression of ILK stimulates CSC development under softer or normoxic conditions. [Cancer Res] Abstract

SIRT2 Deacetylates and Inhibits the Peroxidase Activity of Peroxiredoxin-1 to Sensitize Breast Cancer Cells to Oxidant Stress Inducing Agents

SIRT2 is a protein deacetylase with tumor suppressor activity in breast and liver tumors where it is mutated, however, the critical substrates mediating its antitumor activity are not fully defined. Researchers demonstrated that SIRT2 binds, deacetylates and inhibits the peroxidase activity of the anti-oxidant protein peroxiredoxin in breast cancer cells. [Cancer Res] Abstract

PTEN Loss in E-Cadherin-Deficient Mouse Mammary Epithelial Cells Rescues Apoptosis and Results in Development of Classical Invasive Lobular Carcinoma

Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is an aggressive breast cancer subtype with poor response to chemotherapy. Besides loss of E-cadherin, a hallmark of ILC, genetic inactivation of PTEN is frequently observed in patients. Through concomitant Cre-mediated inactivation of E-cadherin and PTEN in mammary epithelium, researchers generated a mouse model of classical ILC, the main histological ILC subtype. [Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

Fascin Is Critical for the Maintenance of Breast Cancer Stem Cell Pool Predominantly via the Activation of the Notch Self-Renewal Pathway

Fascin is an actin-bundling protein that was previously demonstrated to be a major regulator of breast cancer chemoresistance and metastasis, two cardinal features of cancer stem cells (CSCs). Researchers manipulated fascin expression in breast cancer cell lines and used several in vitro and in vivo approaches to examine the relationship between fascin expression and breast CSCs. [Stem Cells] Abstract

Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Progesterone-Enhanced Breast Cancer Cell Migration

Progesterone (P4) was demonstrated to inhibit migration in vascular smooth muscle cells, but to enhance migration in T47D breast cancer cells. To investigate the mechanism responsible for this switch in P4 action, scientists examined the signaling pathway responsible for the P4-induced migration enhancement in breast cancer cell lines, T47D and MCF-7. [Sci Rep] Abstract

Polyphenol-Rich Strawberry Extract Shows In Vitro and In Vivo Biological Activity Against Invasive Breast Cancer Cells

Scientists described the biological effects of a polyphenol-rich strawberry extract, obtained from the “Alba” variety, on the highly aggressive and invasive basal-like breast cancer cell line A17 [Sci Rep] Full Article

Anti-Tumor Activity of the ATR Inhibitor AZD6738 in HER2 Positive Breast Cancer Cells.

Scientists investigated the antitumor effects of the ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR) inhibitor, AZD6738 and its underlying mechanism in human breast cancer cells. [Int J Cancer] Abstract

MiR-4443 Participates in the Malignancy of Breast Cancer

Chemo-resistance is the leading cause of failure in cancer therapy, however, much remains to be understood about the intrinsic mechanisms. Investigators discovered the novel miR-4443 that regulated malignancy of breast cancer both in vitro and in vivo. [PLoS One] Full Article

CLINICAL RESEARCH

Identification and Functional Testing of ERCC2 Mutations in a Multi-national Cohort of Patients with Familial Breast- and Ovarian Cancer

Investigators provide a useful resource on the mutational landscape of ERCC2 mutations in hereditary breast and ovarian cancer patients and demonstrated the complexity of correct interpretation for the discovery of “bonafide” breast cancer susceptibility genes. [PLoS Genet] Full Article

Breast Cancer Cells Alter the Dynamics of Stromal Fibronectin-Collagen Interactions

Breast cancer cells recruit surrounding stromal cells, such as cancer-associated fibroblasts, to remodel their extracellular matrix (ECM) and promote invasive tumor growth. Two major ECM components, fibronectin (Fn) and collagen I (Col I), are known to interact with each other to regulate cellular behavior. The authors sought to understand how Fn and Col I interplay and promote a dysregulated signaling pathway to facilitate tumor progression. [Matrix Biol] Abstract

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

Physicists Awarded NSF Grant to Study Cancer-Cell Behavior

Three physicists, whose research focuses on theoretical soft condensed matter and biological physics, will investigate new collective mechanisms that establish and maintain tumor boundaries in breast and cervix carcinomas. [Syracuse University] Press Release

China Food and Drug Administration Accepts NDA for Anticancer Agent Halaven^®

Eisai Co., Ltd. announced that the China Food and Drug Administration has accepted for review a New Drug Application (NDA) submitted for Eisai’s in-house developed anticancer agent eribulin mesylate (Halaven^®) for use in the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer in China. [Eisai., Co Ltd.] Press Release

Lilly Provides Update on MONARCH 2 Phase III Trial of Abemaciclib

Eli Lilly and Company announced that following a pre-planned interim analysis for MONARCH 2, an independent Data Monitoring Committee provided the recommendation to continue the study without modification as the interim efficacy criteria were not met. The MONARCH 2, Phase III trial compares abemaciclib plus fulvestrant versus placebo with fulvestrant in women with hormone-receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer. [Eli Lilly and Company] Press Release

From Bark to Bedside

Over the past decade, researchers have conducted hundreds of studies on pets to discover new therapies and medicines. The idea is that—unlike lab rodents—cats and dogs live in the same world we do, and naturally get many of the same diseases, so they could hold the key to developing new treatments for people at a fraction of the normal cost, and potentially yield a trove of new drugs for pets themselves. [Science] Editorial

NIH Sets New Postdoc Stipend Levels

In response to a new rule governing overtime pay in the United States, the National Institutes of Health announced its new, increased postdoc stipend levels, which will go into effect 1 December 2016. [Science Careers] Editorial | Notice

Beyond CRISPR: A Guide to the Many Other Ways to Edit a Genome

The zeal with which researchers jumped on a possible new gene-editing system called NgAgo earlier this year reveals an undercurrent of frustration with CRISPR–Cas9 — and a drive to find alternatives. “It’s a reminder of how fragile every new technology is,” says George Church, a geneticist at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. [Nature News] Editorial

NEW European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2017 Congress
September 8-12, 2017
Madrid, Spain

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NEW Manager Medical & Breast Imaging (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Postdoctoral and PhD Positions – Personalized Medicine for Breast Cancer (University of Basel)

Product Specialist – Oncology (Celgene Corporation)

Robert Stowell Chair – Experimental Pathology (University of California, Davis)

Postdoctoral Associate – Bioinformatics of Colorectal and Triple Negative Breast Cancer (University of Miami)

Lead Bioinformatitian – Cancer-Related Genes and Targeted Drugs (Institute of Cancer Research)

Scientific Director – Global Medical Affairs (Celgene Corporation)

Research Assistant – Role of Platelets in Breast Cancer Metastases (Jagiellonian University)

Postdoctoral Position – Metastatic Reactivaction of Cancer (MD Anderson Cancer Center)

Scientific Director – Oncology (Merck)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Various Projects (National University of Singapore)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Breast Cancer Monitoring through Digital Imaging (University Rovira i Virgili)

Postdoctoral Researcher – Basic & Translational Breast Cancer Research (Northwestern University)

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

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Cancer Research (German Cancer Research Center)

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

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

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