PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

UC researchers unravel important role of Rb tumor suppressor in aggressive form of breast cancer

2013-12-05
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Katie Pence
katie.pence@uc.edu
513-558-4561
University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center
UC researchers unravel important role of Rb tumor suppressor in aggressive form of breast cancer CINCINNATI—The retinoblastoma (Rb) protein plays a critical role in suppressing the multi-step process of cell migration through the bloodstream, lymphovascular invasion and the metastasis of an aggressive type of breast cancer to the lung, researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) Cancer Institute, the Cincinnati Cancer Center (CCC) and the UC Brain Tumor Center have found.

The findings of Rb's role at multiple points in the disease process point to a potential new therapeutic target in patients with the most aggressive subset of breast cancer, known as basal-like breast carcinomas. This type of cancer has no estrogen receptor expression, and to date there is no efficient therapy for patients who suffer from it, leaving them with a generally poor prognosis. Basal-like breast carcinomas spread to the lungs in about 25 percent of cases and to the brain in about 30 percent of cases.

The findings are published online in the journal PLOS ONE. The investigator-initiated research was funded by the UC Department of Cancer Biology's Startup Fund, the UC Dean's Fund and the Mayfield Education and Research Foundation.

"Our research suggests that Rb inhibits collective cell migration, which in turn inhibits the lymphovascular invasion, the release of cancer cells into the blood circulation and the growth of metastasis," says Samuel Godar, PhD, who led the study while an assistant professor in the Department of Cancer Biology. Godar is now visiting assistant professor of cancer biology at UC and president of BioTest4U, a biotech startup based in Loveland, Ohio, and Covington, Ky.

The deadly progression begins when decreased levels of Rb are coupled with an increase in the expression of an oncoprotein (a gene that has the potential to cause cancer) called CD44. Basal-like breast carcinomas are known to have an elevated expression of CD44 and relatively low levels of Rb. Expression of the oncoprotein CD44 is required for the breast cancer cells to move actively through the bloodstream. The researchers studied Rb in two different ways. They studied its ability to suppress collective cell migration in cultures at the Vontz Center for Molecular Studies. They also studied Rb in an animal model, examining its ability to suppress the release of single cancer cells and cancer cell clusters into the bloodstream.

"Our results suggest that Rb suppression stimulates an array of pathological consequences," says co-investigator James Driscoll, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the UC Department of Internal Medicine's Division of Hematology Oncology and member of the CCC. "It stimulates collective rather than single cell-based invasion and migration; it leads to lymphovascular invasion; and it orchestrates metastasis to remote organs through the bloodstream." The research illuminates the crucial role of the Rb/CD44 pathway in the metastatic progression of basal-like breast carcinomas, Godar says.

"It points to the Rb/CD44 pathway as a promising target for therapy to combat the propensity for these aggressive breast cancers to metastasize to the lung and brain. About 90 percent of cancer patients die primarily because of metastatic disease. We believe that the complex analysis of metastatic progression in a preclinical model, such as the analysis we used, will become essential for predicting the true powers of novel anti-cancer drugs."

### Additional co-investigators of the study were Kui-Jin Kim, Alzbeta Godarova and Kari Seedle of UC's Department of Cancer Biology; Min-Ho Kim of Ulsan University Hospital in Ulsan, Republic of Korea; Tan Ince of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine; and Susanne Wells of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

The findings are published online in the journal PLOS ONE, Dec. 4th. END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Building better high-speed robots with the help of cockroaches

2013-12-05
Building better high-speed robots with the help of cockroaches Love them or hate them, cockroaches are notoriously good escape artists and can flee at astonishing speeds. However, this speed can make it difficult to sense the world around them: 'When animals ...

Communicating at a katydid's jungle cocktail party

2013-12-05
Communicating at a katydid's jungle cocktail party Attracting katydid females in the presence of a masking sound As darkness descends upon the tropical rainforests of Malaysia, male chirping katydids of the Mecopoda complex are just getting warmed up for ...

IVF improving but fertility treatments keep multiple births high

2013-12-05
IVF improving but fertility treatments keep multiple births high Non-IVF treatments become bigger contributor PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Fertility technology in the United States has a huge influence on the frequency of twins, triplets, and other ...

Droplet Digital PCR enables measurement of potential cancer survival biomarker

2013-12-05
Droplet Digital PCR enables measurement of potential cancer survival biomarker Seattle, WA – December 4, 2013 – Researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have used Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR™) to demonstrate for the first time the quantification of a special class ...

How our nerves keep firing

2013-12-05
How our nerves keep firing Biologists see ultrafast recycling of neurotransmitter-filled bubbles SALT LAKE CITY, Dec. 4, 2013 –University of Utah and German biologists discovered how nerve cells recycle tiny bubbles or "vesicles" that send chemical nerve signals from ...

Youthful suicide attempts a marker for lifelong troubles

2013-12-05
Youthful suicide attempts a marker for lifelong troubles Difficult to predict, but once it happens, key clue for long-term needs DURHAM, N.C. -- A study that tracked more than 1,000 New Zealanders from birth to age 38 has found that those who attempted suicide before age ...

Study reveals impact of time differences on international trade

2013-12-05
Study reveals impact of time differences on international trade International time differences have a negative and economically significant impact on trade between countries, according to research published this week. The study by Dr Edward Anderson, of the ...

Oldest hominin DNA sequenced

2013-12-05
Oldest hominin DNA sequenced This news release is available in German. Using novel techniques to extract and study ancient DNA researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, have determined an almost complete ...

Telemedicine brings Parkinson's care to 'anyone, anywhere'

2013-12-05
Telemedicine brings Parkinson's care to 'anyone, anywhere' A new study shows that a neurologist in an office thousands of miles away can deliver effective specialized care to people with Parkinson's disease. For individuals with the condition ...

What a Formula 1 race does to your eardrums

2013-12-05
What a Formula 1 race does to your eardrums Track-side noise may exceed 8,500 percent of a person's daily recommended noise exposure, according to new research presented at the 166th meeting of the Acoustical Society of America SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 2, 2013 – ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

QUT scientists create material to turn waste heat into clean power

Major new report sets out how to tackle the ‘profound and lasting impact’ of COVID-19 on cardiovascular health

Cosmic crime scene: White dwarf found devouring Pluto-like icy world

Major report tackles Covid’s cardiovascular crisis head-on

A third of licensed GPs in England not working in NHS general practice

ChatGPT “thought on the fly” when put through Ancient Greek maths puzzle

Engineers uncover why tiny particles form clusters in turbulent air

GLP-1RA drugs dramatically reduce death and cardiovascular risk in psoriasis patients

Psoriasis linked to increased risk of vision-threatening eye disease, study finds

Reprogramming obesity: New drug from Italian biotech aims to treat the underlying causes of obesity

Type 2 diabetes may accelerate development of multiple chronic diseases, particularly in the early stages, UK Biobank study suggests

Resistance training may improve nerve health, slow aging process, study shows

Common and inexpensive medicine halves the risk of recurrence in patients with colorectal cancer

SwRI-built instruments to monitor, provide advanced warning of space weather events

Breakthrough advances sodium-based battery design

New targeted radiation therapy shows near-complete response in rare sarcoma patients

Does physical frailty contribute to dementia?

Soccer headers and brain health: Study finds changes within folds of the brain

Decoding plants’ language of light

UNC Greensboro study finds ticks carrying Lyme disease moving into western NC

New implant restores blood pressure balance after spinal cord injury

New York City's medical specialist advantage may be an illusion, new NYU Tandon research shows

Could a local anesthetic that doesn’t impair motor function be within reach?

1 in 8 Italian cetacean strandings show evidence of fishery interactions, with bottlenose and striped dolphins most commonly affected, according to analysis across four decades of data and more than 5

In the wild, chimpanzees likely ingest the equivalent of several alcoholic drinks every day

Warming of 2°C intensifies Arctic carbon sink but weakens Alpine sink, study finds

Bronze and Iron Age cultures in the Middle East were committed to wine production

Indian adolescents are mostly starting their periods at an earlier age than 25 years ago

Temporary medical centers in Gaza known as "Medical Points" (MPs) treat an average of 117 people daily with only about 7 staff per MP

Rates of alcohol-induced deaths among the general population nearly doubled from 1999 to 2024

[Press-News.org] UC researchers unravel important role of Rb tumor suppressor in aggressive form of breast cancer