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Query: UMLS:C0006142 (breast cancer)
 160,383 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Epidemiological studies have shown that early first pregnancy is associated with a life-long reduction in breast cancer risk. The terminal differentiation associated with pregnancy and lactation has been proposed as a mechanism underlying the protective effect of pregnancy. We report that treatment of rats with ICI 182,780 (ICI) caused a marked reduction in epithelial cells and Ki-67 labelling index as compared to controls and testosterone enanthate-treated (TE) mammary glands. TE increased the Ki-67 labelling index, stimulated lobuloalveolar and ductal growth, as well as the secretory activity of acinar cells. Co-administration of TE and ICI resulted in a reduction in Ki-67 labelling index. Mammary epithelial cells became differentiated, resembling that observed at the end of pregnancy and during lactation as indicated by marked increase in secretory activity, lipid accumulation and presence of basal nuclei. The expression of differentiation markers such as whey acidic protein, mammary derived growth inhibitor, alpha-casein and beta-casein was detected only in TE plus ICI treated mammary tissues. Unlike TE, ICI caused a significant reduction in DMBA-induced tumour incidence, number of tumour bearing and tumour size. Tumour incidence was reduced to 8% when both ICI and TE were co-administered. Our data provide the novel molecular interactions between the estrogen and androgen in regulation of mammary growth and differentiation. These observations may give insight into novel actions of ICI and TE on breast differentiation and protection against carcinogenesis which may be useful in designing novel strategies for cancer prevention and/or treatment based on maximizing mammary epithelial cell differentiation.
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PMID:Induction of mammary epithelial cell differentiation and inhibition of dimethylbenz(A)anthracene-induced mammary tumour by co-administration of a pure antiestrogen ICI 182,780 and testosterone enanthate. 1144 37

Dietary factors other than the traditional nutrients are found in the so-called functional foods. They are becoming increasingly recognized as potentially important for maintaining good health. Soybeans are rich in such factors thought to help prevent certain chronic diseases. Soy protein isolate (SPI) is one of the three major proteins used in infant formulas sold in the United States, with casein (CAS) and whey (WPH) proteins being the others. We have been studying the health effects of these proteins. Safety concerns have developed over the consumption of soy-based infant formula, partly because of the high circulating levels of the total isoflavones (phytoestrogens) during "critical periods of infant development." There is a paucity of data on developmental, physiological, neurophysiological, behavioral, metabolic, or molecular effects of soy phytochemicals in humans, especially during pregnancy and infancy. We have studied the effects of CAS, SPI, and WPH in short-term, long-term, and multigenerational studies in rats. Aside from minor differences in body weight gain profiles, CAS-, SPI- or WPH-fed rats did not differ in development, organ weights, in vitro hepatic metabolism of testosterone (T), or reproductive performance. However, some endocrine-related functions differed between rats fed these proteins. We found that SPI accelerated puberty in female rats (p < .05) and WPH delayed puberty in males and females, as compared with CAS (p < .05). Gender differences were also found in gonadectomy-induced steroid responses. Male rats had normal serum T levels, but female rats fed SPI had reduced serum 17beta-estradiol concentrations and a blunted 17beta-estradiol response to ovariectomy, as compared to rats fed CAS or WHP (p < .05). Female rats fed SPI or WHP or treated with genistein had reduced incidence of chemically induced mammary cancers (p < .05) compared to CAS controls, with WHP reducing tumor incidence by as much as 50%, findings that replicate previous results from our laboratory. Together, these results suggest gender-specific differences in development and certain endocrine responses among rats fed diets composed of a single protein source such as those used in infant formulas. Whether similar developmental effects occur in human infants is unknown, but unlikely because (1) most infants do not consume such diets throughout life as these rats did, and (2) no such effects have been reported in millions of American infants fed infant formula containing these proteins. The long-term health consequence implications of early diet exposure to SPI and WPH, such as reduced breast cancer incidence, are likely to be very positive.
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PMID:Developmental effects and health aspects of soy protein isolate, casein, and whey in male and female rats. 1148 59

In the present study we investigated the presence, amount and activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)-1, -2, -3, -7, -8, -9, -10, -11 and -13 and TIMP-1 in three well-defined breast cancer cell lines with different biological behaviour; i.e. poorly-invasive MCF-7 cells, invasively growing MDA-MB-231 cells and invasive and highly-metastatic MDA-MB-435 cells. The parallel immunocytochemical determination of the degree of cellular differentiation, as monitored by the immunocytochemical expression of cytokeratins (CK), confirmed differences in the tumor cell differentiation. Thereby, MCF-7 cells expressed more glandular CKs than MDA-MB-231 cells, while MDA-MB-435 cells were only labelled by pancytokeratin markers, but neither by glandular nor by squamous epithelial CKs. Conditioned media were analyzed for the presence of MMPs and TIMP-1 using Western blot with specific polyclonal antibodies and for gelatinolytic and caseinolytic activity by zymography. In addition, the cellular pool of several MMPs was investigated by immunocytochemistry. An enhanced cytoplasmatic staining for MMP-3 and -9, MMP-1, -10 and -11 was seen in the highly metastatic cells at almost equal levels, while MMP-2 revealed only a minor intracellular staining in all three cell lines. Western blots of conditioned media showed enhanced amounts of MMP-1, -3, -7, -10 and -11 in media of the two metastatic cell lines. Casein zymography correlated with the results of the MMP-1 Western blots. By means of gelatin zymography, MMP-2 and -9 were detectable in cell culture supematants of all the three cell lines, while gelatinolytic activity was elevated in the media of the more malignant MDA-MB-435 cells. Separate addition of EDTA or Pefa bloc SL partially inhibited the gelatinoltic activity indicating the presence of metallo- and serine proteinases, respectively; combined application of both inhibitors resulted in a complete suppression of activity. We provide evidence that the deviation expression in secretion of various MMPs in breast cancer cell lines of different tumorigenicity correlates with the biological behaviour of these cells, ie. the more malignant cells synthesize more MMPs than the less malignant ones. In addition, the secretion of MMP-1, -3, -7, -10 and -11 was enhanced in the malignant MDA-MB-231 and -435 cells when compared to the corresponding intracellular pool. This analysis confirms previous results obtained in a keratinocyte tumor cell model and provides evidence for a more general biological association between MMP-expression and tumor cell growth.
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PMID:Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in breast cancer cell lines of different tumorigenicity. 1191 Dec 53

During angiogenesis, endothelial cells use uPA and PAI-1 to migrate and degrade the basement membrane surrounding capillary blood vessels. Invasive tumor cells produce a large amount of uPA that could bind uPAR present at the endothelial cell surface to facilitate their invasion. To verify this hypothesis, endothelial cells were incubated with conditioned medium (CM) from two breast cancer cell lines (MCF7 and MDA MB 231 cells). Within a short incubation period (30 min) with both CM, an increase of uPA, PAI-1 and uPA-PAI-1 complex was detected in endothelial cell layer as assessed by casein zymography, ELISA and uPA immunostaining. The extent of this enhancement was related to the levels of uPA secreted by tumor cells (high in MDA MB 231 cells and low in MCF7 cells). After 2 hr of incubation, the CM from both tumor cells upregulated uPA and PAI-1 mRNA levels in endothelial cells in a time-dependent manner. The uPA increase in the cell layer could not be attributable to an increase of uPAR level. Only the CM from highly invasive MDA MB 231 cells increased the angiogenic morphotype of endothelial cells assessed in a collagen gel. A single addition of amino-terminal fragment of uPA (ATF) was able to abolish the angiogenic effect induced by MDA MB 231 cell CM. Our data demonstrate that the interactions occurring between breast tumor cells and endothelial cells can modulate tumor angiogenesis at least by two mechanisms: an increase of uPA and PAI-1 cell surface-binding and of their expression by endothelial cells.
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PMID:Human breast adenocarcinoma cell lines promote angiogenesis by providing cells with uPA-PAI-1 and by enhancing their expression. 1212 97

Exogenous and dietary estrogens have been associated with modification of breast cancer risk. Mammary cancer model systems can be used to explore interactions between specific transgenes, and hormonal and dietary factors. Transgenic mice bearing the rat wild-type erbB-2 gene were used to study the effects of short-term hormonal exposure [17beta-estradiol (E2) or tamoxifen] or a soy meal diet on mammary carcinogenesis. In mice fed a casein diet, mammary tumors developed at an earlier age after short-term E2 exposure during the early reproductive period. The median mammary tumor latency was shortest (29 weeks) for the high-dose estrogen as compared with the lowest dose of E2 treated or placebo control mice (33 and 37 weeks, respectively). The timing of short-term E2 exposure was also important, with the most significant changes observed in mice exposed to E2 between 8 and 18 weeks of age. E2 exposure was associated with the subsequent development of more aggressive tumors as determined by histologic grade, multifocal tumor development, stromal invasion, and pulmonary metastasis. In contrast, short-term tamoxifen-exposed mice generally failed to develop mammary tumors by 60 weeks of age. Mice fed a soy meal diet developed mammary tumors at a later age than casein-fed animals treated with E2 or placebo, whereas no differences were observed by diet for the tamoxifen-treated mice. Mammary tumor prevention was >80% in tamoxifen-treated mice on either diet. Novel histologic tumor types were identified, suggesting greater phenotypic diversity than described previously. Benign mammary gland morphogenesis was also significantly altered by short-term hormonal exposure or dietary factors, consistent with the modification of mammary tumor risk in specific treatment groups. Estrogenic modulation of the mammary tumor phenotype in wild-type erbB-2 transgenic mice was observed. Histologic tumor types and clinical aggressivity not reported previously in this transgenic model were noted, suggesting greater biologic heterogeneity than reported previously. In addition, dietary phytoestrogens modified mammary development and tumor latency, suggesting a need for greater stringency in dietary assignment for transgenic mouse models of mammary neoplasia.
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PMID:Hormonal and dietary modulation of mammary carcinogenesis in mouse mammary tumor virus-c-erbB-2 transgenic mice. 1275 Feb 62

It has been suggested that environmental contaminants that mimic the effects of estrogen contribute to disruption of the reproductive systems of animals in the wild, and to the high incidence of hormone-related cancers and diseases in Western populations. Previous studies have shown that functionally, cadmium acts like steroidal estrogens in breast cancer cells as a result of its ability to form a high-affinity complex with the hormone binding domain of the estrogen receptor. The results of the present study show that cadmium also has potent estrogen-like activity in vivo. Exposure to cadmium increased uterine wet weight, promoted growth and development of the mammary glands and induced hormone-regulated genes in ovariectomized animals. In the uterus, the increase in wet weight was accompanied by proliferation of the endometrium and induction of progesterone receptor (PgR) and complement component C3. In the mammary gland, cadmium promoted an increase in the formation of side branches and alveolar buds and the induction of casein, whey acidic protein, PgR and C3. In utero exposure to the metal also mimicked the effects of estrogens. Female offspring experienced an earlier onset of puberty and an increase in the epithelial area and the number of terminal end buds in the mammary gland.
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PMID:Cadmium mimics the in vivo effects of estrogen in the uterus and mammary gland. 1289 63

The objective of the present study was to determine the effects of retinoic acid on the growth of the mouse mammary cells HC11 and HC11ras, which are a model for in vitro breast cancer progression. The expression of the two classes (RARs and RXRs) of retinoic acid receptor mRNAs was determined by Northern blot analysis. Receptor functional integrity was determined by testing whether RAR mRNA could be induced by retinoic acid. The effects of a 72-h exposure to 50 M 13-cis retinoic acid on HC11 and HC11ras cell proliferation and HC11 cell differentiation were investigated by flow cytometric cell cycle analysis, and by determination of -casein mRNA expression, respectively. The possibility that retinoic acid would induce the expression of the vitamin D receptor and synergize with vitamin D, a known inhibitor of HC11 cell growth, was also investigated. HC11 cells expressed higher mRNA levels of both RAR a and RAR g when compared to HC11ras cells. In contrast, RAR , as well as RXR a, and g expression was low in both HC11 and HC11ras cells. In addition, RAR mRNA was induced by retinoic acid treatment in both cells. In spite of these observations, no effects were seen on cell proliferation or differentiation upon exposure to retinoic acid. Neither vitamin D receptor induction nor synergy with vitamin D on growth inhibition was observed. We conclude that the RAR expression profile could be related to the transformed state in HC11ras cells and that the retinoic acid resistance observed merits further investigation.
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PMID:Normal HC11 and ras-transformed mouse mammary cells are resistant to the antiproliferative effects of retinoic acid. 1466 62

Many cellular processes are regulated by reversible protein phosphorylation, and the ability to broadly identify and quantify phosphoproteins from proteomes would provide a basis for gaining a better understanding of these dynamic cellular processes. However, such a sensitive, efficient, and global method capable of addressing the phosphoproteome has yet to be developed. Here we describe an improved stable-isotope labeling method using a phosphoprotein isotope-coded solid-phase tag (PhIST) for isolating and measuring the relative abundances of phosphorylated peptides from complex peptide mixtures resulting from the enzymatic digestion of extracted proteins. The PhIST approach is an extension of the previously reported phosphoprotein isotope-coded affinity tag (PhIAT) approach developed by our laboratory, where phosphoseryl and phosphothreonyl residues were derivatized by hydroxide ion-mediated beta-elimination followed by the Michael addition of 1,2-ethanedithiol (EDT). Instead of using the biotin affinity tag, peptides containing the EDT moiety were captured and labeled in one step using isotope-coded solid-phase reagents containing either light (12C6, 14N) or heavy (13C6, 15N) stable isotopes. The captured peptides labeled with the isotope-coded tags were released from the solid-phase support by UV photocleavage and analyzed by capillary liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The efficiency and sensitivity of the PhIST labeling approach for identification of phosphopeptides from mixtures were determined using casein proteins. Its utility for proteomic applications was demonstrated by the labeling of soluble phosphoproteins from a human breast cancer cell line.
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PMID:Phosphoprotein isotope-coded solid-phase tag approach for enrichment and quantitative analysis of phosphopeptides from complex mixtures. 1471 34

The incidence of breast cancer is on the rise but as yet there is no guaranteed beneficial treatment for many of the sufferers. The treatments specific for breast and other hormone-sensitive cancers work well at times, however, the population of women that they will benefit is relatively small. Many are limited to surgical, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy options. Here, using two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) in conjunction with a silver stain and Western blotting approach, we attempt to locate selected known prognostic markers for breast cancer. With these results, we can exclude these proteins from the future search for potential pharmaceutical targets, using the same techniques. The proteins that were located include the estrogen receptor-alpha, beta-casein, cytokeratin 7, calponin and bax. For each protein an estimated M(r) and pI was gained. Each protein was found in multiple variants. By locating these proteins the number of unknown proteins found on the 2-DE gel has been reduced, helping the future search for novel markers that are shown as being differentially expressed between healthy and cancerous tissue samples.
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PMID:Proteomic analysis of selected prognostic factors of breast cancer. 1499 99

ADAM 12 is a member of a family of disintegrin-containing metalloproteases that have been implicated in a variety of diseases including Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, and cancer. We purified ADAM 12 from the urine of breast cancer patients via Q-Sepharose anion exchange and gelatin-Sepharose affinity chromatography followed by protein identification by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. Four peptides were identified that spanned the amino acid sequence of ADAM 12. Immunoblot analysis using ADAM 12-specific antibodies detected an approximately 68-kDa band identified as the mature form of ADAM 12. To characterize catalytic properties of ADAM 12, full-length ADAM 12-S was expressed in COS-7 cells and purified. Substrate specificity studies demonstrated that ADAM 12-S degrades gelatin, type IV collagen, and fibronectin but not type I collagen or casein. Gelatinase activity of ADAM 12 was completely abrogated by zinc chelators 1,10-phenanthroline and EDTA and was partially inhibited by the hydroxamate inhibitor Marimastat. Endogenous matrix metalloprotease inhibitor TIMP-3 inhibited activity. To validate our initial identification of this enzyme in human urine, 117 urine samples from breast cancer patients and controls were analyzed by immunoblot. The majority of samples from cancer patients were positive for ADAM 12 (67 of 71, sensitivity 0.94) compared with urine from controls in which ADAM 12 was detected with significantly lower frequency. Densitometric analyses of immunoblots demonstrated that ADAM 12 protein levels were higher in urine from breast cancer patients than in control urine. In addition, median levels of ADAM 12 in urine significantly increased with disease progression. These data demonstrate for the first time that ADAM 12 is a gelatinase, that it can be detected in breast cancer patient urine, and that increased urinary levels of this protein correlate with breast cancer progression. They further support the possibility that detection of urinary ADAM 12 may prove useful in the development of noninvasive diagnostic and prognostic tests for breast and perhaps other cancers.
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PMID:ADAM 12 cleaves extracellular matrix proteins and correlates with cancer status and stage. 1538 92


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