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

Genomic signature in post-menopausal women may explain why pregnancy reduces breast cancer risk

2011-04-06
(Press-News.org) ORLANDO, FL (April 5, 2011) – Women who have children, particularly early in life, have a lower lifetime risk of breast cancer compared with women who do not. Now, Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers have identified a gene expression pattern in breast tissue that differs between post-menopausal women who had children and post-menopausal women who did not. The results will help scientists understand why pregnancy reduces breast cancer risk and may help them develop chemopreventive strategies that can provide similar protection for women who did not have children.

Pregnancy triggers differentiation and growth of breast tissue; however breast tissue in post-menopausal women looks similar regardless of childbearing history. That similarity has left researchers wondering why pregnancy is protective throughout a woman's life. This study starts to explain that effect, says Ricardo López de Cicco, PhD, a senior research associate at Fox Chase, who will present the work at the AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011 on Tuesday, April 5.

"When a woman has multiple pregnancies beginning at a relatively young age, we see a protective effect against breast cancer," Lopez says. "In this study, we identified a post-pregnancy genomic signature that can still be seen even after menopause. That is very important because it could begin to help us understand why women who have children early benefit from a reduced risk of breast cancer throughout their lives."

By comparing gene expression in breast tissue from 44 post-menopausal women who had children and 21 post-menopausal women who did not, the team identified 208 genes that are differentially expressed. The signature was subsequently validated in an independent cohort of 61 post-menopausal women, 38 who had children and 23 who did not.

"We are now quite sure that these 208 genes – 305 transcripts – represent the genomic signature of the effects of pregnancy," says Jose Russo, MD, director of the Breast Cancer Research Laboratory at Fox Chase, who led the new study.

"Finding that signature was our end goal," Russo emphasizes. "If we want to develop chemopreventive strategies, then we need a standard or test to see if they are working. This genomic signature may be that standard."

Among the differentially expressed genes, the team detected several that are involved in processing RNA transcripts. Russo hypothesizes that the increased RNA processing proteins help ensure that no abnormal proteins are made, thereby reducing the likelihood of abnormal growth and cancer.

The team also saw reduced expression of cancer-associated genes in breast tissue from women who had children. For example, the insulin-like growth factor receptor, which is associated with increased cell proliferation, was expressed at a lower level in the samples from women who had children (parous) compared to samples from women who did not (nulliparous). Similarly, genes involved in stem cell maintenance were down-regulated, which may be because the mammary stem cells have already undergone proliferation and differentiation in the women who had children. By contrast, the stem cells are still poised to grow and produce new mammary tissue in the women who did not have children. Some theories of oncogenesis suggest that cancers arise from stem cells that go awry.

### Co-authors on the work include Julia Santucci-Pereira, Suraj Peri, Michael Slifker, Eric Ross, Irma H. Russo, Patricia A. Russo, and Fathima Sheriff from Fox Chase, Alan A. Arslan, Ilana Belitskaya-Lévy, Anne Zeleniuch-Jacquotte, Yelena Afanasyeva, and Paolo Toniolo from New York University School of Medicine in New York, Pal Bordas and Janet Åhman from Sunderby Hospital and the Norrbotten Mammography Screening Program in Luleå, Sweden, Per Lenner, Robert Johansson and Göran Hallmans from Umeå University in Umeå, Sweden.

The work was supported by a grant from the Avon Foundation.

Fox Chase Cancer Center is one of the leading cancer research and treatments centers in the United States. Founded in 1904 in Philadelphia as one of the nation's first cancer hospitals, Fox Chase was also among the first institutions to be designated a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center in 1974. Fox Chase researchers have won the highest awards in their fields, including two Nobel Prizes. Fox Chase physicians are also routinely recognized in national rankings, and the Center's nursing program has received the Magnet status for excellence three consecutive times. Today, Fox Chase conducts a broad array of nationally competitive basic, translational, and clinical research, with special programs in cancer prevention, detection, survivorship, and community outreach. For more information, call 1-888-FOX-CHASE or 1-888-369-2427.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

BALAM Dance Theatre Launches Spring 2011 Season with "BALAM Dance Theatre: From Bali to the Bronx"

2011-04-06
BALAM Dance Theatre: From Bali to the Bronx commences BALAM Dance Theatre's (BALAM) spring 2011 season with a FREE performance on Thursday, April 28, 12:30-1:45 p.m., at Lehman College's Lovinger Theatre, 250 Bedford Park Boulevard, Bronx, New York. BALAM is a New York City-based company that offers a new vision of contemporary dance by fusing ballet, modern and diverse cultural dance styles with Balinese theatre. BALAM Dance Theatre: From Bali to the Bronx celebrates the arrival of spring and the company's recent successful tour of Bali, Indonesia by creating a new ...

Fox Chase researchers develop a screen for identifying new anticancer drug targets

2011-04-06
ORLANDO, FL (April 5, 2011) –Tumor suppressor genes normally control the growth of cells, but cancer can spring up when these genes are silenced by certain chemical reactions that modify chromosomes. Among the most common culprits responsible for inactivating these genes are histone deacetylases, a class of enzymes that remove acetyl groups from DNA-scaffolding proteins, and DNA methyltransferases, a family of enzymes that add methyl groups to DNA. Drugs that counteract these enzymes, and thus reactivate tumor suppressor genes, are promising cancer therapies. For example, ...

Emergency department CT exams of children have increased substantially

2011-04-06
OAK BROOK, Ill. – Computed tomography examinations of children in hospital emergency departments increased substantially from 1995 to 2008, according to a new study published online and in the June print edition of Radiology. Researchers said the findings underscore the need for collaboration among medical professionals to ensure that pediatric CT is appropriately ordered, performed and interpreted. "We need to think creatively about how to partner with each other, with ordering clinicians and with CT manufacturers to ensure that all children are scanned only when it ...

Writing Workshops Opens At The Mary Pickford Studio In Los Angeles

2011-04-06
Your Plot Thickens http://www.yourplotthickens.com Published writer and former magazine editor, Lara Sterling, announces that Your Plot Thickens, a writing school based in the South Bay of Los Angeles, has joined forces with the Mary Pickford Institute in Los Angeles to develop the Mary Pickford Studio. The Mary Pickford Institute functions to cultivate awareness of film pioneer Mary Pickford's life while also providing outreach to at-risk youth through a Mobile Classroom, which is, in essence, a digital production and editing suite on wheels. The Mary Pickford Studio ...

Research discovers how marijuana affects the way the brain processes emotional information

2011-04-06
VIDEO: Neuroscientist Steven Laviolette of the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Western Ontario has identified the brain pathway responsible for the effects of drugs like marijuana... Click here for more information. Drugs like marijuana act on naturally occurring receptors in the brain called cannabinoid receptors. However, the mechanisms by which these drugs produce their sensory and mood altering effects within the brain are largely unknown. ...

It’s not over when it's over: Storing sounds in the inner ear

2011-04-06
Research shows that vibrations in the inner ear continue even after a sound has ended, perhaps serving as a kind of mechanical memory of recent sounds. In addition to contributing to the understanding of the complex process of sound perception, the results may shed light on other fascinating aspects of the auditory system, such as why some gaps between sounds are too brief to be perceived by the human ear. The study is published by Cell Press in the April 5th issue of Biophysical Journal. The inner ear contains a structure called the cochlea that serves as the organ ...

Practicing YOGA in the KITCHEN

2011-04-06
Yoga studios of every style are filling their boutiques with the latest additions to this already fun collection of yoga shaped cookie cutter kits. Expanding the collection this season, The Kitchen Yogi's (http://thekitchenyogi.com) number one sellers are "Yogi Mommy", "Warrior I", and "Crow Pose." These cookie cutter kits are bringing smiles to yogi worldwide! Who wouldn't want to eat a cookie in the shape of Warrior I? Each kit includes an asana cookie cutter, delicious cookie recipe and how-to yoga instructions. These yoga products are available for wholesale ...

Large weight gain raises risk for recurrence among breast cancer survivors

2011-04-06
Oakland, Calif., April 5, 2011 — Breast cancer survivors who experience large weight gain have an increased risk of death after diagnosis, according to research scientists at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, Calif. Breast cancer survivors who experienced large weight gain (10 percent or more over their pre-diagnosis weight) were 14 percent more likely to experience a cancer recurrence compared to women whose weight remained stable (within 5 percent of pre-diagnosis weight) following diagnosis. The study results are being presented at the American ...

Demystifying meditation -- brain imaging illustrates how meditation reduces pain

2011-04-06
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – April 5, 2011 – Meditation produces powerful pain-relieving effects in the brain, according to new research published in the April 6 edition of the Journal of Neuroscience. "This is the first study to show that only a little over an hour of meditation training can dramatically reduce both the experience of pain and pain-related brain activation," said Fadel Zeidan, Ph.D., lead author of the study and post-doctoral research fellow at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. "We found a big effect – about a 40 percent reduction in pain intensity and ...

Second World Productions in Association with SEED Recordings Present Second World Sessions - April 14, 2011 featuring Selectress Iriela, DJ Bradford James and Faze Dynamik!

2011-04-06
Second World Sessions heats up on Thursday April 14th 2011, from 10pm until 4am at Sutra Lounge, 16 1st Avenue, New York City! the VIBE: Tribal. Global. Deep. Soulful. Sexy. Decadent. the WORLD: A deep warm place where lotus lamps mingle with candle lit spiritual eroticism. the MUSIC: Selectress Iriela (Second World) Bradford James (Seed Recordings) + Special Guest Faze Dynamik (Paris) For anyone familiar with Second World events which combine elements like ethical fashion with tribal body paint to a booming global soundtrack - they know that they are in ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

University of Oklahoma researcher awarded funding to bridge gap between molecular data and tissue architecture

Nationally-recognized pathologist Paul N. Staats, MD, named Chair of Pathology at University of Maryland School of Medicine

The world’s snow leopards are very similar genetically. That doesn’t bode well for their future

Researchers find key to stopping deadly infection

Leafcutter ants have blind spots, just like truck drivers

Tayac receives funding for community engagement project

Parker receives funding for Elementary Education Program Professional Development School (PDS)

Physicists uncork a message in a bottle from another star

Sanders receives funding for project aimed at enabling prostheses for children with lower extremity amputation

Engineers develop solid lubricant to replace toxic materials in farming

Repurposing gemstone polishing waste to create smart cement

Patient-physician messaging by race, ethnicity, insurance type, and preferred language

Unrecognized motor difficulties and developmental coordination disorder in preschool children

Background genetic variants influence clinical features in complex disorders

Smarter battery tech knows whether your EV will make it home

Overactive microRNAs block fat cell development in progeria

Crosswalk confusion: MA drivers flummoxed by pedestrian hybrid beacons, find UMass Amherst researchers

Study shows heart disease mortality disproportionately burdens low-income communities in California

Intracardiac echocardiography recognized as ‘transformative’ imaging modality in new SCAI position statement

Study finds ‘man’s best friend’ slows cellular aging in female veterans

To get representative health data, researchers hand out fitbits

Hiring in high-growth firms: new study explores the timing of organizational changes

Boosting work engagement through a simple smartphone diary

Climate change may create ‘ecological trap’ for species who can’t adapt

Scientists create ChatGPT-like AI model for neuroscience to build one of the most detailed mouse brain maps to date

AI and omics unlock personalized drugs and RNA therapies for heart disease

2023 ocean heatwave ‘unprecedented but not unexpected’

Johns Hopkins researchers develop AI to predict risk of US car crashes

New drug combination offers hope for men with advanced prostate cancer

New discovery finds gene converts insulin-producing cells into blood-sugar boosters

[Press-News.org] Genomic signature in post-menopausal women may explain why pregnancy reduces breast cancer risk