Disruption of circadian rhythm may be a risk factor in the development of breast cancer, but molecular changes in circadian rhythm controlled genes in breast cancer cells are still unexplored. We used immunohistochemical staining, methylation specific PCR and direct sequencing methods to analyze molecular changes in three most important genes, namely PER1, PER2 and PER3, in circadian rhythm in 55 cases of breast cancer of Taiwanese women. Our results reveal disturbances in the expression of the three period (PER) genes in most (>95%) of the breast cancerous cells in comparison with the nearby non-cancerous cells. The PER gene deregulation is not caused by genetic mutations but most probably by methylation of the PER1 or PER2 promoter. Methylation of the PER gene promoters has a strong correlation with c-erbB2 expression (P = 0.017). Since the circadian clock controls expression of cell-cycle related genes, we suggest that disturbances in PER gene expression may result in disruption of the control of the normal circadian clock, thus benefiting the survival of cancer cells and promoting carcinogenesis. Differential expression of circadian genes in non-cancerous and cancerous cells may provide a molecular basis for chronotherapy of breast cancer.
Breast cancers demonstrate substantial biological, clinical and etiological heterogeneity. We investigated breast cancer risk associations of eight susceptibility loci identified in GWAS and two putative susceptibility loci in candidate genes in relation to specific breast tumor subtypes. Subtypes were defined by five markers (ER, PR, HER2, CK5/6, EGFR) and other pathological and clinical features. Analyses included up to 30 040 invasive breast cancer cases and 53 692 controls from 31 studies within the Breast Cancer Association Consortium. We confirmed previous reports of stronger associations with ER+ than ER- tumors for six of the eight loci identified in GWAS: rs2981582 (10q26) (P-heterogeneity = 6.1 × 10(-18)), rs3803662 (16q12) (P = 3.7 × 10(-5)), rs13281615 (8q24) (P = 0.002), rs13387042 (2q35) (P = 0.006), rs4973768 (3p24) (P = 0.003) and rs6504950 (17q23) (P = 0.002). The two candidate loci, CASP8 (rs1045485, rs17468277) and TGFB1 (rs1982073), were most strongly related with the risk of PR negative tumors (P = 5.1 × 10(-6) and P = 4.1 × 10(-4), respectively), as previously suggested. Four of the eight loci identified in GWAS were associated with triple negative tumors (P ≤ 0.016): rs3803662 (16q12), rs889312 (5q11), rs3817198 (11p15) and rs13387042 (2q35); however, only two of them (16q12 and 2q35) were associated with tumors with the core basal phenotype (P ≤ 0.002). These analyses are consistent with different biological origins of breast cancers, and indicate that tumor stratification might help in the identification and characterization of novel risk factors for breast cancer subtypes. This may eventually result in further improvements in prevention, early detection and treatment.
Estrogen has been suggested to trigger breast cancer development via an initiating mechanism involving its metabolite, catechol estrogen (CE). To examine this hypothesis, we carried out a multigenic case-control study of 469 incident breast cancer patients and 740 healthy controls to define the role of important genes involved in the different metabolic steps that protect against the potentially harmful effects of CE metabolism. We studied the 3 genes involved in CE detoxification by conjugation reactions involving methylation (catechol-O-methyltransferase, COMT), sulfation (sulfotransferase 1A1, SULT1A1), or glucuronidation (UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1, UGT1A1), one (manganese superoxide dismutase, MnSOD) involved in protection against reactive oxidative species-mediated oxidation during the conversion of CEsemiquinone (CE-SQ) to CE-quinone (CE-Q), and 2 of the glutathione S-transferase superfamily, GSTM1 and GSTT1, involved in CE-Q metabolism. Support for this hypothesis came from the observations that (i) there was a trend toward an increased risk of breast cancer in women harboring a greater number of putative high-risk genotypes of these genes (p < 0.05); (ii) this association was stronger and more significant in those women who were more susceptible to estrogen [no history of pregnancy or older (>26 years) at first full-term pregnancy (FFTP)]; and (iii) the risks associated with having one or more high-risk genotypes were not the same in women having experienced different menarche-to-FFTP intervals, being more significant in women having been exposed to estrogen for a longer period (>12 years) before FFTP. Furthermore, because CE-Q can attack DNA, leading to the formation of double-strand breaks (DSB), we examined whether the relationship between cancer risk and the genotypic polymorphism of CE-metabolizing genes was modified by the genotypes of DSB repair genes, and found that a joint effect of CE-metabolizing genes and one of the two DSB repair pathways, the homologous recombination pathway, was significantly associated with breast cancer development. Based on comprehensive CE metabolizing gene profiles, our study provides support to the hypotheses that breast cancer can be initiated by estrogen exposure and that increased estrogen exposure confers a higher risk of breast cancer by causing DSB to DNA.Key words: breast cancer; estrogen; catechol estrogen; polymorphism; molecular epidemiology An increased risk of breast cancer due to prolonged exposure to estrogen has been well documented by epidemiological observations showing that estrogen-related risk factors, including age at menarche, age at menopause, parity and age at first full-term pregnancy (FFTP), are significantly associated with breast cancer risk. 1,2 Why estrogen exposure should increase breast cancer risk is an intriguing question that has not been conclusively answered. One simple explanation is that the proliferative effect of estrogen on breast epithelium promotes the growth of tumor cells, leading to progression of breast cancer. [3...
From our preliminary experience, R-NSM and IBR with Gel implant is a safe procedure, with good cosmetic results, and could be a promising new technique for breast cancer patients indicated for mastectomy.
BackgroundThe transfer of whole mitochondria that occurs during cell contact has been found to support cancer progression. However, the regulatory role of mitochondria alone is difficult to elucidate due to the complex microenvironment. Currently, mitochondrial transplantation is an available approach for restoring mitochondrial function in mitochondrial diseases but remains unclear in breast cancer. Herein, effects of mitochondrial transplantation via different approaches in breast cancer were investigated.MethodsWhole mitochondria (approximately 10.5 μg/ml) were transported into MCF-7 breast cancer cells via passive uptake or Pep-1-mediated delivery. Fresh mitochondria isolated from homeoplasmic 143B osteosarcoma cybrids containing mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) derived from health individuals (Mito) or mtDNA with the A8344G mutation (Mito8344) were conjugated with cell-penetrating peptide Pep-1 (P-Mito) or not conjugated prior to cell co-culture. Before isolation, mitochondria were stained with MitoTracker dye as the tracking label. After 3 days of treatment, cell viability, proliferation, oxidative stress, drug sensitivity to Doxorubicin/Paclitaxel and mitochondrial function were assessed.ResultsCompared with P-Mito, a small portion of Mito adhered to the cell membrane, and this was accompanied by a slightly lower fluorescent signal by foreign mitochondria in MCF-7 cells. Both transplantations induced cell apoptosis by increasing the nuclear translocation of apoptosis-inducing factor; inhibited cell growth and decreased oxidative stress in MCF-7 cells; and increased the cellular susceptibility of both the MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines to Doxorubicin and Paclitaxel. Mitochondrial transplantation also consistently decreased Drp-1, which resulted in an enhancement of the tubular mitochondrial network, but a distinct machinery through the increase of parkin and mitochondrial fusion proteins was observed in the Mito and P-Mito groups, respectively. Furthermore, although there were no differences in energy metabolism after transplantation of normal mitochondria, metabolism was switched to the energetic and glycolytic phenotypes when the mitochondria were replaced with dysfunctional mitochondria, namely, Mito8344 and P-Mito8344, due to dramatically induced glycolysis and reduced mitochondrial respiration, respectively. Consequently, transplant-induced growth inhibition was abolished, and cell growth in the Mito8344 group was even higher than that in the control group.ConclusionThis study reveals the antitumour potential of mitochondrial transplantation in breast cancer via distinct regulation of mitochondrial function.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13046-019-1028-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.