While platinum-based chemotherapeutic agents are widely used to treat various solid tumors, the acquired platinum resistance is a major impediment in their successful treatment. Since enhanced DNA repair capacity is a major factor in conferring cisplatin resistance, targeting of DNA repair pathways is an effective stratagem for overcoming cisplatin resistance. This study was designed to delineate the role of nucleotide excision repair (NER), the principal mechanism for the removal of cisplatin-induced DNA intrastrand crosslinks, in cisplatin resistance and reveal the impact of DNA repair interference on cisplatin sensitivity in human ovarian cancer cells. »
03/08/11

The voltage gated potassium (K+) channels Eag and HERG have been implicated in the pathogenesis of various cancers, through association with cell cycle changes and programmed cell death. The role of these channels in the onset and progression of ovarian cancer is unknown. An understanding of mechanism by which Eag and HERG channels affect cell proliferation in ovarian cancer cells is required and therefore we investigated their role in cell proliferation and their effect on the cell cycle and apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells. »
03/10/11

To elucidate whether rapamycin, the inhibitor of mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin), can potentiate the cytotoxic effect of docetaxel in lung cancer cells and to probe the mechanism underlying such enhancement. »
03/10/11

Expression of Y-box binding protein-1 (YB-1) is associated with tumor progression and drug resistance. Phosphorylation of YB-1 at serine residue 102 (S102) in response to growth factors is required for its transcriptional activity and is thought to be regulated by cytoplasmic signaling PI3K/Akt and MAPK/ERK pathways. These pathways can be activated by growth factors and by exposure to ionizing radiation (IR). So far, however, no studies have been conducted on IR-induced YB-1 phosphorylation. »
03/10/11

We have previously demonstrated that endoxifen is the most important tamoxifen metabolite responsible for eliciting the anti-estrogenic effects of this drug in breast cancer cells expressing estrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha)However, the relevance of ERbeta in mediating endoxifen action has yet to be explored. Here, we characterize the molecular actions of endoxifen in breast cancer cells expressing ERbeta and examine its effectiveness as an anti-estrogenic agent in these cell lines. »
03/10/11

Pokemon is an oncogenic transcription factor involved in cell growth, differentiation, and oncogenesis, but little is known about its role in human breast cancer. This study aimed to reveal the role of pokemon in breast cancer progression and patient survival and to understand the underlying mechanisms. »
03/10/11

Women who carry a BRCA1 mutation typically develop "triple-negative" breast cancers (TNBC), defined by the absence of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and Her2/neu. In contrast to ER-positive tumors, TNBCs frequently express high levels of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Previously, we found a disproportionate fraction of progenitor cells in BRCA1 mutation carriers with EGFR overexpression. Here we examine the role of EGFR in mammary epithelial cells (MECs) in the emergence of BRCA1-related tumors and as a potential target for the prevention of TNBC. »
03/11/11

We have previously reported that induction of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and ErbB2 in response to antihormonal agents may provide an early mechanism to allow breast cancer cells to evade the growth inhibitory action of such therapies and ultimately drive resistant cell growth. More recently, the other two members of the ErbB receptor family, ErbB3 and ErbB4, have been implicated in antihormone resistance in breast cancer. In the present study we have investigated whether induction of ErbB3 and/or ErbB4, may provide an alternative resistance mechanism to antihormonal action in a panel of four oestrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer cell lines. »
03/11/11

This study was designed to investigate the protein levels of cyclooxyogenase-2 (COX-2) and survivin in superficial urothelial carcinoma (UC) and their correlation with microvessel density (MVD). High-grade UC was positive for both COX-2 and survivin protein, and the proportion of tumours positive for both proteins increased with increasing tumour grade. »
09/01/10

The SRC family of ER co-regulators are frequently overexpressed in breast cancer. Overexpression of AIB1 appears to be linked to hormone resistance in HER2 positive breast cancer. However, the role of these co-regulators in ER negative disease is poorly understood. »
03/09/11