Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:2.7.10.1 (ERK)
95,504 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Chromosomal aberrations (CAs) are important genetic alterations in the development and progression of the majority of human cancers. The frequency with which such alterations occur depends to a large extent on polymorphisms of DNA-repair genes and in genes coding for xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes, which are involved in the processes of activation and inactivation of xenobiotics. The frequency of bleomycin (BLM)-induced CAs is an indirect measure of the effectiveness of DNA repair mechanisms, and a predictor of environment-related risk of cancer. Our study was conducted on the human peripheral blood lymphocytes of 82 healthy volunteers. The aim of the study was to elucidate whether the frequency of BLM-induced CAs is correlated with polymorphisms of selected genes involved in different mechanisms of DNA repair such as: XRCC1 [base excision repair]; XPA, XPC, XPG, XPD, XPF, ERCC1 [nucleotide excision repair], NBS1, RAD51, XRCC2, XRCC3, RAD51, and BRCA1 [homologous recombination], as well as in genes encoding xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes, such as CYP1A, CYP2E1, NAT2, GSTT1, and EPHX (mEH). Our study indicated that, of the polymorphisms studied, only XPC (exon 15 and intron 11) is associated with BLM-induced CAs, suggesting a role of the NER pathway in the repair of BLM-induced chromosomal aberrations.
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PMID:Polymorphism in nucleotide excision repair gene XPC correlates with bleomycin-induced chromosomal aberrations. 1768 59

The ataxia-telangiectasia-mutated (ATM) kinase is a key transducer of DNA damage signals within the genome maintenance machinery and a tumour suppressor whose germline mutations predispose to familial breast cancer. ATM signalling is constitutively activated in early stages of diverse types of human malignancies and cell culture models in response to oncogene-induced DNA damage providing a barrier against tumour progression. As BRCA1 and BRCA2 are also components of the genome maintenance network and their mutations predispose to breast cancer, we have examined the ATM expression in human breast carcinomas of BRCA1/2 mutation carriers, sporadic cases and familial non-BRCA1/2 patients. Our results show that ATM protein expression is aberrantly reduced more frequently among BRCA1 (33%; P=0.0003) and BRCA2 (30%; P=0.0009) tumours than in non-BRCA1/2 tumours (10.7%). Furthermore, the non-BRCA1/2 tumours with reduced ATM expression were more often estrogen receptor (ER) negative (P=0.0002), progesterone receptor (PR) negative (P=0.004) and were of higher grade (P=0.0004). In our series of 1013 non-BRCA1/2 cases, ATM was more commonly deficient (20%; P=0.0006) and p53 was overabundant (47%; P<0.0000000001) among the difficult-to-treat ER/PR/ERBB2-triple-negative subset of tumours compared with cases that expressed at least one of these receptors (10 and 16% of aberrant ATM and p53, respectively). We propose a model of 'conditional haploinsufficiency' for BRCA1/2 under conditions of enhanced DNA damage in precancerous lesions resulting in more robust activation and hence increased selection for inactivation or loss of ATM in tumours of BRCA1/2 mutation carriers, with implications for genomic instability and curability of diverse subsets of human breast cancer.
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PMID:The DNA damage signalling kinase ATM is aberrantly reduced or lost in BRCA1/BRCA2-deficient and ER/PR/ERBB2-triple-negative breast cancer. 1798 90

The formation of micronuclei (MN) is extensively used in molecular epidemiology as a biomarker of chromosomal damage, genome instability, and eventually of cancer risk. The occurrence of MN represents an integrated response to chromosome-instability phenotypes and altered cellular viabilities caused by genetic defects and/or exogenous exposures to genotoxic agents. The present article reviews human population studies addressing the relationship between genetic polymorphisms and MN formation, and provides insight into how genetic variants could modulate the effect of environmental exposures to genotoxic agents, host factors (gender, age), lifestyle characteristics (smoking, alcohol, folate), and diseases (coronary artery disease, cancer). Seventy-two studies measuring MN frequency either in peripheral blood lymphocytes or exfoliated cells were retrieved after an extensive search of the MedLine/PubMed database. The effect of genetic polymorphisms on MN formation is complex, influenced to a different extent by several polymorphisms of proteins or enzymes involved in xenobiotic metabolism, DNA repair proteins, and folate-metabolism enzymes. This heterogeneity reflects the presence of multiple external and internal exposures, and the large number of chromosomal alterations eventually resulting in MN formation. Polymorphisms of EPHX, GSTT1, and GSTM1 are of special importance in modulating the frequency of chromosomal damage in individuals exposed to genotoxic agents and in unexposed populations. Variants of ALDH2 genes are consistently associated with MN formation induced by alcohol drinking. Carriers of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations (with or without breast cancer) show enhanced sensitivity to clastogens. Some evidence further suggests that DNA repair (XRCC1 and XRCC3) and folate-metabolism genes (MTHFR) also influence MN formation. As some of the findings are based on relatively small numbers of subjects, larger scale studies are required that include scoring of additional endpoints (e.g., MN in combination with fluorescent in situ hybridization, analysis of nucleoplasmic bridges and nuclear buds), and address gene-gene interactions.
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PMID:Genetic polymorphisms and micronucleus formation: a review of the literature. 1803 39

Previous studies have shown conflicting results on prognostic significance of basal-like breast tumors, but hormone receptor is a confusing factor in most of the prognostic evaluations. We aimed to characterize the prognostic features of basal-like tumors without the influence of hormone receptor status in a series of hormone receptor-negative breast tumors. Using tissue microarray and immunohistochemistry methods, according to the expression of HER2 and basal markers (CK5/6, CK14, EGFR), we categorized 713 consecutive hormone receptor-negative invasive breast cancers into 3 subtypes: HER2 (HER2+), basal-like (HER2-, any basal marker+), and null (HER2-, all basal markers-). The HER2 phenotype was subdivided into pure-HER2 (HER2+, all basal markers-) and basal-HER2 (HER2+, any basal marker+) subgroups. Expression of p53, p63, vimentin, and BRCA1 was assessed immunochemically. Basal-like tumors showed significantly higher grade, more frequent recurrence, and higher expression of vimentin and p63 than HER2 and null phenotypes. Basal-HER2 phenotype had significantly younger mean age and expressed a higher level of p53 and vimentin like basal-like and/or HER2 phenotypes. However, unlike all the other hormone receptor-negative phenotypes, they highly expressed BRCA1. No significant difference was found in 5-year survival among basal-like and the other hormone receptor-negative phenotypes, except for basal-HER2, which showed poorer 5-year overall survival than basal-like tumors. In conclusion, although basal-like breast tumors have distinct clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical features, they have similar 5-year survival compared with the other hormone receptor-negative tumors including HER2 and null phenotypes. However, there exists a small group of hormone receptor-negative tumors expressing HER2 and basal markers simultaneously. This small group of tumors showed significantly poorer 5-year overall survival than basal-like breast tumors and might require different treatment strategy.
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PMID:Basal-HER2 phenotype shows poorer survival than basal-like phenotype in hormone receptor-negative invasive breast cancers. 1804 47

Triple negative breast carcinomas (TNBCs) are a group of primary breast tumors with aggressive clinical behavior. Most TNBCs possess a basal phenotype (BP) and show varying degrees of basal cytokeratin and myoepithelial marker expression. The importance of recognizing these tumors came to light largely as the result of gene expression profiling studies that categorized breast cancer into 3 major groups. Two of these groups are defined by their respective expression of estrogen receptor and HER2. TNBCs represent a third group and are defined by negativity for hormone receptors and HER2. TNBCs currently lack effective targeted therapies and are frequently resistant to standard chemotherapeutic regimens. These tumors tend to occur in premenopausal women and members of specific ethnic groups and a subset are associated with heritable BRCA1 mutations. For patients with sporadic TNBCs and BP tumors, BRCA1 dysfunction seems to play a major role in the development and progression of disease. The pathologist's role in the diagnosis and characterization of TNBCs and BP tumors is currently being defined as we are acquiring knowledge of the biologic and genetic underpinnings that drive this heterogeneous group of diseases. This review will provide a historical prospective on TNBCs and tumors that express basal cytokeratins and myoepithelial makers. Additionally, we will discuss the molecular biologic, genetic and pathologic aspects of these tumors. Guidelines will be provided on how to best approach the diagnosis of these cases and on what input pathologists should provide clinicians to help develop optimal therapeutic and preventative strategies against this aggressive group of breast cancers.
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PMID:Triple negative breast carcinoma and the basal phenotype: from expression profiling to clinical practice. 1804 31

Five breast cancer subtypes have been described in sporadic breast cancer (SBC) using expression arrays: basal-like, ERBB2, normal breast-like, luminal A and B. These molecular subtypes show different genomic aberration patterns (GAPs). Recently, our group described these breast cancer subtypes in 50 non-BRCA1/2 familial tumors using immunohistochemistry assays. We extended this study to the other classes of familial breast cancer (FBC), including 62 tumors (18 BRCA1, 16 BRCA2 and 28 non-BRCA1/2), with the same panel of 25 immunohistochemical (IHC) markers and histological grade obtaining a similar classification. We combined these data with results generated by a 1 Mb BAC array-based CGH study to evaluate the genomic aberrations of each group. We found that BRCA1-related tumors are preferentially basal-like, whereas non-BRCA1/2 familial tumors are mainly luminal A subtype. We described distinct GAPs related to each IHC subtype. Basal tumors had a greater number of gains/losses, while luminal B tumors had more high-level DNA amplifications. Our data are similar to those obtained in SBC studies, highlighting the existence of distinct genetic pathways of tumor evolution, common to both SBC and FBC.
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PMID:Distinct genomic aberration patterns are found in familial breast cancer associated with different immunohistochemical subtypes. 1807 13

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease that encompasses several distinct entities with remarkably different biological characteristics and clinical behaviour. Currently, breast cancer patients are managed according to algorithms based on a constellation of clinical and histopathological parameters in conjunction with assessment of hormone receptor (oestrogen and progesterone receptor) status and HER2 overexpression/gene amplification. Although effective tailored therapies have been developed for patients with hormone receptor-positive or HER2+ disease, chemotherapy is the only modality of systemic therapy for patients with breast cancers lacking the expression of these markers (triple-negative cancers). Recent microarray expression profiling analyses have demonstrated that breast cancers can be systematically characterized into biologically and clinically meaningful groups. These studies have led to the re-discovery of basal-like breast cancers, which preferentially show a triple-negative phenotype. Both triple-negative and basal-like cancers preferentially affect young and African-American women, are of high histological grade and have more aggressive clinical behaviour. Furthermore, a significant overlap between the biological and clinical characteristics of sporadic triple-negative and basal-like cancers and breast carcinomas arising in BRCA1 mutation carriers has been repeatedly demonstrated. In this review, we critically address the characteristics of basal-like and triple-negative cancers, their similarities and differences, their response to chemotherapy as well as strategies for the development of novel therapeutic targets for these aggressive types of breast cancer. In addition, the possible mechanisms are discussed leading to BRCA1 pathway dysfunction in sporadic triple-negative and basal-like cancers and animal models for these tumour types.
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PMID:Triple negative tumours: a critical review. 1817 22

Although it is well established that women with germ-line mutations in the BRCA1 gene have a greatly increased lifetime incidence of breast and ovarian cancer, the molecular mechanisms responsible for this tissue-specific carcinogenesis remain undefined. The majority of these breast cancers are of the basal-like phenotype characterized by lack of expression of ER, PR, and ERBB2. Because this phenotype has been proposed to resemble that of normal breast stem cells, we examined the role of BRCA1 in human mammary stem cell fate. Using both in vitro systems and a humanized NOD/SCID mouse model, we demonstrate that BRCA1 expression is required for the differentiation of ER-negative stem/progenitor cells to ER-positive luminal cells. Knockdown of BRCA1 in primary breast epithelial cells leads to an increase in cells displaying the stem/progenitor cell marker ALDH1 and a decrease in cells expressing luminal epithelial markers and estrogen receptor. In breast tissues from women with germ-line BRCA1 mutations, but not normal controls, we detect entire lobules that, although histologically normal, are positive for ALDH1 expression but are negative for the expression of ER. Loss of heterozygosity for BRCA1 was documented in these ALDH1-positive lobules but not in adjacent ALDH1-negative lobules. Taken together, these studies demonstrate that BRCA1 plays a critical role in the differentiation of ER-negative stem/progenitor cells to ER-positive luminal cells. Because BRCA1 also plays a role in DNA repair, our work suggests that loss of BRCA1 may result in the accumulation of genetically unstable breast stem cells, providing prime targets for further carcinogenic events.
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PMID:BRCA1 regulates human mammary stem/progenitor cell fate. 1823 Jul 21

Docetaxel, a second-generation taxane, is one of the most powerful anticancer drugs for breast cancer. It has been widely used in the metastatic setting but also in the adjuvant or neoadjuvant setting for breast cancer patients. However, docetaxel is not effective for all breast cancers. The response rate is 40-60% even in first-line chemotherapy and it decreases to 20-30% in the second-or third-line chemotherapy. Therefore, it is very important to predict the sensitivity of docetaxel with high accuracy in order to avoid unnecessary treatment. Docetaxel binds to beta-tubulin and promotes polymerization, resulting in interference with mitosis. Unfortunately, the mechanism of sensitivity or resistance to docetaxel has not been fully understood. Recent studies in this area have demonstrated various mechanisms involved in the anti-tumor activity of docetaxel: (1) efflux (p-glycoprotein), (2) metabolism (CYP3A4), (3) beta-tubulin (isotype class I and III), (4) cell cycle (HER2, BRCA1), (5) apoptosis (p53, Bcl-2, thioredoxin), and (6) cell proliferation (MIB-1, nuclear grade). In addition, recently, gene expression profiling has been applied to the prediction of response to docetaxel in breast cancer. This work has reviewed recent studies, including ours, which have evaluated the association between these biological parameters and response to docetaxel in breast cancer.
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PMID:[Prediction of response to docetaxel in breast cancer]. 1828 55

Subtyping of breast cancers by means of DNA microarray analyses has given rise to the new concept of the basal-like subtype; this subtype is in effect the equivalent of so-called "triple-negative" breast cancer. Basal-like breast cancer has aggressive characteristics, such as high histological grade, mutation of the TP53 gene, and negative hormone receptors. It tends to occur in relatively young women and is highly correlated with suppression of BRCA1 function. The EGFR gene is often overexpressed in this subtype. Here, research carried out in the last few years into the basal-like subtype of breast cancer will be reviewed.
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PMID:Basal-like subtype of breast cancer: a review of its unique characteristics and their clinical significance. 1831 81


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