Mammary Cell News Volume 9.19 | May 18 2017

TOP STORY

Tumor Cells Get Stiff before Becoming Invasive

Researchers showed that breast cancer cells undergo a stiffening state prior to acquiring malignant features and becoming invasive. The discovery identified a new signal in tumor cells that can be further explored when designing cancer-targeting therapies. [Press release from Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência discussing online prepublication in Nature Communications] Press Release | Full Article

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

LABORATORY RESEARCH

Proline Metabolism Supports Metastasis Formation and Could Be Inhibited to Selectively Target Metastasizing Cancer Cells

Scientists used 2D versus 3D cultivation to induce a shift in the cellular phenotype of breast cancer cells. They discovered that proline catabolism via proline dehydrogenase supports growth of breast cancer cells in 3D culture. [Nat Commun] Full Article

Embryonic Transcription Factor SOX9 Drives Breast Cancer Endocrine Resistance

Through the analysis of the estrogen receptor (ER) cistrome in tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer cells, researchers uncovered a role for a RUNX2-ER complex that stimulates the transcription of a set of genes, including most notably the stem cell factor SOX9, that promote proliferation and a metastatic phenotype. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Abstract

HN1 Contributes to Migration, Invasion, and Tumorigenesis of Breast Cancer by Enhancing MYC Activity

Investigators found that hematological and neurological expressed 1 (HN1) was upregulated in breast cancer tissues. Patients with high levels of HN1 expression had significantly shorter survival than those with low HN1 expression. [Mol Cancer] Full Article

MiR-106b and miR-93 Regulate Cell Progression by Suppression of PTEN via PI3K/Akt Pathway in Breast Cancer

Accumulating evidence has revealed that dysregulated microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the tumorigenesis, progression and even lead to poor prognosis of various carcinomas, including breast cancer. MiRNA-106b-5p (miR-106b) and miRNA-93-5p (miR-93) levels were confirmed to be significantly upregulated in breast cancer clinical samples and metastatic cell line compared with those in the paired adjacent tissues and normal breast epithelial cell line. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article

Acyl-CoA Thioesterase 7 Is Involved in Cell Cycle Progression via Regulation of PKCζ–p53–p21 Signaling Pathway

Acyl-CoA thioesterase 7 (ACOT7) was shown to be responsive to genotoxic stresses such as ionizing radiation and the anti-cancer drug doxorubicin in time- and dose-dependent manners. PKCζ was specifically involved in ACOT7 depletion-mediated cell cycle arrest as an upstream molecule of the p53–p21 signaling pathway in MCF7 human breast carcinoma and A549 human lung carcinoma cells. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article

Stapled BIG3 Helical Peptide ERAP Potentiates Anti-Tumor Activity for Breast Cancer Therapeutics

Recent findings showed that the specific inhibition of the brefeldin A-inhibited guanine nucleotide-exchange protein 3-prohibitin 2 (BIG3-PHB2) interaction using the estrogen receptor-alpha activity-regulator synthetic peptide (ERAP), derived from α-helical BIG3 sequence, resulted in a significant anti-tumor effect. However, the duration of this effect was very short for viable clinical application. Investigators developed a chemically modified ERAP using stapling methods to improve the duration of its anti-tumor effects. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Protein Kinase C Inhibitor Chelerythrine Selectively Inhibits Proliferation of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells

Researchers evaluated the anti-proliferative activity of protein kinase C inhibitor chelerythrine on a panel of breast cancer cell lines. Chelerythrine selectively inhibited the growth of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell lines compared to non-TNBC cell lines as demonstrated by in vitro cell proliferation assay and colony formation assay, as well as evidenced by in vivo xenograft assay. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Inhibition of Ubiquitin-Specific Protease 34 (USP34) Induces Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Promotes Stemness in Mammary Epithelial Cells

Ubiquitin-specific protease 34 (USP34) is a deubiquitinating enzyme that regulates Axin stability and plays a critical role in Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Scientists sought to investigate the role of USP34 on epithelial-mesenchymal induction and its effects on mammary epithelial stem cells. [Cell Signal] Abstract

CLINICAL RESEARCH

TITAN: Phase III Study of Doxorubicin/Cyclophosphamide Followed by Ixabepilone or Paclitaxel in Early-Stage Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Researchers evaluated the substitution of ixabepilone for paclitaxel following doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide (AC) in the adjuvant treatment of early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Treatment with AC/ixabepilone provided similar disease-free survival and overall survival in patients with operable TNBC when compared to treatment with AC/paclitaxel. [Breast Cancer Res Treat] Abstract

The Role of TGF-β and Its Crosstalk with RAC1/RAC1b Signaling in Breast and Pancreas Carcinoma

Scientists focus on the role of TGF-β and its signaling crosstalk with the RHO family GTPases RAC1 and RAC1b in the progression of breast and pancreatic carcinoma. [Cell Commun Signal] Full Article

The Therapeutic Potential of PI3K/Akt/MTOR Inhibitors in Breast Cancer: Rational and Progress

The authors provide an overview of the potential utility of PI3K/Akt/mTOR inhibitors in patients with breast cancer, with particular emphasis on recent preclinical and clinical studies. [J Cell Biochem] Abstract

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

Lilly to Present Results from Pivotal Breast Cancer Study of Abemaciclib and New Portfolio Data

Eli Lilly and Company announced that new research demonstrating advances in the company’s oncology pipeline and product portfolio will be presented. [Press release from Eli Lilly and Company discussing research to be presented at the 53^rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Chicago] Press Release

Novelogics Biotechnology, Inc. & CDRD Partner to Advance Novel Cancer Treatment

Novelogics Biotechnology, Inc. announced that it has entered into a research agreement with The Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD) to further characterize Novelogics’ internally-developed antibody immunotherapy for treating cancer. The proprietary technology behind Novelogics’ innovation involves discovery and development of monoclonal antibodies that target a protein that promotes immune suppression in cancer patients. [Novelogics Biotehcnology Inc] Press Release

Specialised Therapeutics Asia to License Promising Anti-Cancer Compound Lurbinectedin (PM1183) for South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand

Specialised Therapeutics Asia (ST Asia) is set to commercialize a promising new anti-cancer drug throughout South East Asia, after signing a second major licensing deal with PharmaMar. The latest agreement allows ST Asia marketing and distribution rights to new anti-cancer compound lurbinectedin in Australia, New Zealand and throughout SE Asia. [Specialised Therapeutics Asia] Press Release

As Ebola Outbreak Grows, Question of Using Vaccine Becomes More Urgent

As health officials and aid workers head to a remote corner of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to respond to an outbreak of Ebola virus disease, a key question remains: Will the government authorize the use of a promising experimental vaccine? The vaccine had stunning results in a clinical trial in Guinea in 2015, but it has yet to be licensed for broad use. [Science Insider] Editorial

Lawmakers Decry Trump Plan to Slash NIH 2018 Budget

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle in the U.S. House of Representatives voiced their displeasure with the Trump administration’s proposed $5.8 billion cut to the budget of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. [Science Insider] Editorial

NEW Drug Discovery & Therapy World Congress 2017
July 10-13, 2017
Boston, United States

NEW ASCO/AACR Methods in Clinical Cancer Research Workshop
July 29-August 4, 2017
Vail, United States

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

NEW Higher Scientific Officer – 3D Cell Culture (Institute of Cancer Research)

NEW Postdoctoral Fellow – Metastatic Breast Cancer Stem Cells (Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center)

Statistical Bioinformatician – Breast Cancer Research (Institute of Cancer Research)

Postdoctoral Researcher Positions – Fundamental Mechanisms of Tyrosine Kinase Mediated Epigenetic Modifications (Moffitt Comprehensive Cancer Center)

Postdoctoral Positions – Cancer Research (Baylor College of Medicine)

Researcher – Tumor Microenvironment and Invasion Program (SUNY Upstate Medical University)

Postdoctoral Research – Cancer Biology (University of Pennsylvania)

Bioinformatics Scientist – Breast Cancer (Windber Research Institute)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Genetics, Genomics and Informatics (The University of Tennessee Health Science Center)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Breast Cancer Stem Cell (University of Kentucky)

Postdoctoral Position – Metastatic Breast Cancer (Purdue University)

Postdoctoral Associate – Mammary Stem Cell and Cancer Biology (University of Miami)

Postdoctoral Fellow Position(s) – Gene Regulation in Cancer Progression (University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio)

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