Mammary Cell News 9.11 March 23, 2017 | |
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TOP STORYResearchers Discover Key to Drug Resistance in Common Breast Cancer Treatment Scientists from the Florida campus of the Scripps Research Institute, the University of California, San Diego and the University of Illinois have found that two immune system molecules may be key to the development of drug resistance in estrogen-driven breast cancers. They believe this finding may open the door to novel therapeutic approaches and influence treatment decisions for the tens of thousands of patients who suffer from estrogen-driven breast cancers. [Press release from the Scripps Research Institute discussing online prepublication in Molecular Cell] Press Release | Abstract | Graphical Abstract | |
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PUBLICATIONS(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)LABORATORY RESEARCHUsing patient‐derived xenografts, investigators showed that expansion of the cancer stem cell (CSC) pool, due to altered self‐renewing divisions, is also a feature of Numb‐deficient human breast cancers. In these cancers, using the inhibitor Nutlin‐3 to restore p53, they corrected the defective self‐renewal properties of Numb‐deficient CSCs and inhibited CSC expansion, with a marked effect on tumorigenicity and metastasis. [EMBO Mol Med] Full Article | Graphical Abstract The authors assessed global gene expression changes in antiestrogen-sensitive compared with antiestrogen-resistant MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines. The branched-chain amino acid transaminase 1, which catalyzes the first step in the breakdown of branched-chain amino acids, was among the most upregulated transcripts in antiestrogen-resistant cells. [Oncogene] Abstract It was recently found that B55α-associated PP2A promotes partial deactivation of the HIF-prolyl-hydroxylase enzyme PHD2. Scientists showed that, in turn, PHD2 triggers degradation of B55α by hydroxylating it at proline 319. In the context of glucose starvation, PHD2 reduced B55α protein levels, which correlated with MDA-MB231 and MCF7 breast cancer cell death. [Cell Rep] Full Article | Press Release | Graphical Abstract Through genetic lineage tracing in mice, investigators found that SOX9-expressing cells specifically contribute to the development and maintenance of estrogen receptor (ER)− luminal cells and, to a lesser degree, basal cells. In parallel, PROM1-expressing cells gave rise only to ER+ luminal cells. [Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract Using structure/function studies, investigators reported that dimerization of BST-2 through cysteine residues located in the BST-2 extracellular domain, leads to anoikis resistance and cell survival through proteasome-mediated degradation of BIM—a key proapoptotic factor. BST-2 dimerization promoted tumor growth in preclinical breast cancer models in vitro and in vivo. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article To investigate the role of FLRT2 in breast cancer, its expression was knocked down and upregulated in mammary cell lines, and the effect was examined through three levels of approach: pathway analysis; cell activities such as proliferation, colony formation, migration, and adhesion; and target gene expression. [Sci Rep] Full Article The authors evaluated the effects of lumican in respect to the estrogen receptor (ER)-associated breast cancer cell behavior, before and after suppression of ERs, using scanning electron and confocal microscopies, qPCR and functional assays. Their data pinpointed that lumican significantly attenuated cell functional properties, including proliferation, migration and invasion. [Sci Rep] Full Article Scientists investigated the effect of domain 4 in ligand-independent vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) dimerization and activation in human vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) and human breast cancer cells. They showed that KFP1 did not affect the interaction of VEGFR-2 and VEGF but bound VEGFR-2 in the absence of VEGF. [Breast Cancer Res Treat] Abstract CLINICAL RESEARCHSeventeen disease-free breast cancer patients were vaccinated. Researchers showed that the GP2 + granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor vaccine was safe and stimulated an immunologic response when administered concurrently with trastuzumab. [Ann Surg Oncol] Abstract | |
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REVIEWSNon-Autonomous Cell Proliferation in the Mammary Gland and Cancer The authors review recent examples of non-autonomous cell growth in the mammary gland and tumor cell proliferation. [Curr Opin Cell Biol] Abstract Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the mammary cell research field. | |
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SCIENCE NEWSOnxeo to Present Data Supporting Three Key Orphan Oncology Assets Onxeo S.A. announced the presentation of data from three studies supporting the company’s primary drug candidates in oncology, AsiDNATM, Livatag® and Beleodaq® in poster sessions. [Press release from Onxeo S.A. discussing research to be presented at the 2017 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C.] Press Release | |
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INDUSTRY NEWSEli Lilly and Company announced that its MONARCH 2 trial of abemaciclib met the primary endpoint of progression-free survival. The Phase III study evaluated abemaciclib, a cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4 and CDK 6 inhibitor, in combination with fulvestrant in women with hormone-receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative, advanced breast cancer who have relapsed or progressed after endocrine therapy. [Eli Lilly and Company] Press Release Five-Year Research Partnership Targets Breast Cancer Vaccine A vaccine for breast cancer is on the horizon, thanks to a new partnership between Victoria University of Wellington’s Ferrier Research Institute and the Breast Cancer Foundation New Zealand. [Victoria University of Wellington] Press Release | Video Study to Focus on Breast Cancer Link to Bone Metastasis A Cornell-led international research team has secured more than $1 million in funding from the Human Frontier Science Program to study breast cancer’s effect on the mineralization pathways in bone. [Cornell University] Press Release | |
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POLICY NEWSCanada Budget Falls Flat with Scientists The budget that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government released lives up to his promises to emphasize innovation, and to encourage links between industry and academia. But it also presents scientists with a depressing, and unexpected, freeze on the main funding streams for basic research. [Nature News] Editorial South Korea’s Scientists Seek Change amid Political Chaos When South Korea’s Constitutional Court removed scandal-ridden President Park Geun-hye from office on 10th March, citizens rejoiced in the streets — and many scientists breathed a sigh of relief. Her downfall has inspired a public appetite for broad governmental reforms, including changes in how the country supports scientific research. Many in the research community hope to end South Korea’s decades-long focus on applied research and shift more resources to basic science. [Nature News] Editorial Ethical Guidelines on Lab-Grown Embryos Beg for Revamping, Scientists Say Researchers in the U.K. and U.S. recently succeeded for the first time in growing embryos in the lab for nearly two weeks before terminating them, showing that the so-called 14-day rule is no longer a scientific limitation — although it remains a cultural one. Now, a group of Harvard University scientists has published a paper arguing that it is time to reconsider the 14-day rule because of advances in synthetic biology. [Scientific American] Editorial
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EVENTSNEW Mitochondrial Biogenesis and Dynamics in Health, Disease and Aging NEW Cell Culture World Congress Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the community.
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JOB OPPORTUNITIESNEW Research Assistant/Associate – Breast Cancer Biology (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai) Assistant or Associate Professor – Breast Cancer Research (Georgetown University School of Medicine) Postdoctoral Position – Breast Cancer (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center) Postdoctoral Research Scholar – Breast Tumor Growth (University of Iowa) Postdoctoral Fellow – Proteoglycans (Thomas Jefferson University) Postdoctoral Fellow – Cancer Research (Houston Methodist Research Institute) Postdoctoral Fellow – Breast Cancer (Tufts University School of Medicine) Assistant or Associate Professor – Breast Cancer (Roswell Park Cancer Institute) Postdoctoral Associate – Mammary Stem Cell and Cancer Biology (University of Miami) Assistant Professor – Molecular Therapeutics of Cancer (Dartmouth College) Recruit Top Talent: Reach potential candidates by posting your organization’s career opportunities on the Connexon Creative Job Board at no cost.
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