Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 20, 2026

Live Imaging to Study Microtubule Dynamic Instability in Taxane-resistant Breast Cancers
06:02

Live Imaging to Study Microtubule Dynamic Instability in Taxane-resistant Breast Cancers

Published on: February 20, 2017

Mutation of the class I beta-tubulin gene does not predict response to paclitaxel for breast cancer

Kazuma Maeno1, Ken-ichi Ito, Yoshihisa Hama

  • 1Department of Surgery, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan.

Cancer Letters
|August 2, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Class I beta-tubulin gene mutations are not a primary cause of paclitaxel resistance in Japanese breast cancer patients. Researchers found no significant mutations linked to treatment non-response, suggesting other resistance mechanisms are at play.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Genetics
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Paclitaxel is a key chemotherapy agent for breast cancer.
  • Class I beta-tubulin gene mutations are a suspected mechanism of paclitaxel resistance.
  • Understanding resistance mechanisms is crucial for improving breast cancer treatment outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between class I beta-tubulin gene mutations and paclitaxel resistance in Japanese breast cancer patients.
  • To determine if specific mutations in the class I beta-tubulin gene correlate with non-response to paclitaxel therapy.

Main Methods:

  • Screening of 82 Japanese breast cancer specimens and corresponding normal tissues for class I beta-tubulin gene mutations.
  • Isolation of Total RNA from tissue samples.
  • Analysis of gene sequences, including detection of silent polymorphisms and mutations causing amino acid substitutions.

Main Results:

  • A silent polymorphism (Leu217Leu) was detected in 18.3% of patients.
  • No mutations involving amino acid substitutions in the class I beta-tubulin gene were identified in any patient.
  • This lack of mutation was consistent even in patients who did not respond to paclitaxel treatment.

Conclusions:

  • Class I beta-tubulin gene mutations with amino acid substitutions do not appear to be a significant mechanism of paclitaxel resistance in this cohort of Japanese breast cancer patients.
  • Further research is needed to identify the specific factors contributing to paclitaxel resistance in breast cancer.

More Related Videos

Generation of Prostate Cancer Cell Models of Resistance to the Anti-mitotic Agent Docetaxel06:44

Generation of Prostate Cancer Cell Models of Resistance to the Anti-mitotic Agent Docetaxel

Published on: September 8, 2017

Related Concept Videos

Drugs that Stabilize Microtubules01:15

Drugs that Stabilize Microtubules

Microtubules are dynamic structures that undergo cycles of catastrophe and rescue. The microtubules play a central role in cell division by forming the spindle apparatus for segregating the chromosomes. This makes them ideal targets for regulating dividing cells in tumors and malignant cancer cells. Microtubule stabilizing drugs help stabilize the microtubule formation and promote its polymerization. Paclitaxel was the first microtubule stabilizing agent used as anticancer drug in chemotherapy...
Pharmacogenetics of Drug Targets: β₂-Adrenergic Receptors, Apo E, Thymidylate Synthase01:11

Pharmacogenetics of Drug Targets: β₂-Adrenergic Receptors, Apo E, Thymidylate Synthase

Genetic polymorphisms in drug targets have emerged as critical determinants of interindividual variability in drug response and toxicity. Pharmacogenomic investigations increasingly focus on identifying these variations to personalize and optimize therapeutic interventions. A drug target may be a receptor, enzyme, or signaling protein involved in pharmacologic responses or disease-related pathways. While early pharmacogenetic studies focused primarily on drug metabolism, current research...
Targeted Cancer Therapies02:57

Targeted Cancer Therapies

The targeted cancer therapies, also known as “molecular targeted therapies,” take advantage of the molecular and genetic differences between the cancer cells and the normal cells. It needs a thorough understanding of the cancer cells to develop drugs that can target specific molecular aspects that drive the growth, progression, and spread of cancer cells without affecting the growth and survival of other normal cells in the body.
There are several types of targeted therapies against specific...
Treatment Resistant Cancers02:56

Treatment Resistant Cancers

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. A cancer cell is genetically unstable and hence can mutate faster. They can also modify their microenvironment and escape immune surveillance. The difficulties in treating cancer are further compounded by the emergence of rapid resistance to anticancer drugs. The most common ways to attain resistance in cancer cells include alteration in drug transport and metabolism, modification of drug target, elevated DNA damage response, or...
Cancer-Critical Genes II: Tumor Suppressor Genes01:05

Cancer-Critical Genes II: Tumor Suppressor Genes

Genes usually encode proteins necessary for the proper functioning of a healthy cell. Mutations can often cause changes to the gene expression pattern, thereby altering the phenotype.
When the function of certain critical genes, especially those involved in cell cycle regulation and cell growth signaling cascades, gets disrupted, it upsets the cell cycle progression. Such cells with unchecked cell cycles start proliferating uncontrollably and eventually develop into tumors.
Such genes that act...
Combination Therapies and Personalized Medicine02:50

Combination Therapies and Personalized Medicine

Combining two or more treatment methods increases the life span of cancer patients while reducing damage to vital organs or tissue from the overuse of a single treatment. Combination therapy also targets different cancer-inducing pathways, thus reducing the chances of developing resistance to treatment.
The combination of the drug acetazolamide and sulforaphane is a good example of combination therapy to treat cancer. The cells in the interior of a large tumor often die due to the hypoxic and...