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GATA3 expression in triple-negative breast cancers.
David J Byrne1, Siddhartha Deb1, Elena A Takano1
1Department of Pathology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Histopathology
|February 18, 2017
Summary
GATA3 protein expression is common in triple-negative breast carcinomas. This finding highlights GATA3
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Cancer Research
Background:
- GATA-binding protein 3 (GATA3) is a transcription factor crucial for luminal breast epithelial development.
- GATA3 is implicated in various tumor types, including breast and urothelial carcinomas.
- Its role as an immunohistochemistry marker aids in diagnosing primary and metastatic diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate GATA3 protein expression in primary triple-negative breast carcinomas (TNBCs).
- To evaluate the utility of GATA3 as a diagnostic marker across different breast cancer subtypes.
Main Methods:
- Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to assess GATA3 protein expression in 106 primary TNBCs.
- Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was employed to measure GATA3 mRNA levels in various breast cancer subtypes (TNBC, luminal, HER2-amplified).
Main Results:
- GATA3 protein expression was observed in a significant proportion of primary TNBCs.
- 48% of assessable TNBCs showed at least 1+ GATA3 staining, with 21% exhibiting high expression based on weighted scoring.
- GATA3 mRNA expression analysis was performed on TNBC, luminal, and HER2-amplified tumors.
Conclusions:
- GATA3 expression is a common finding in primary triple-negative breast carcinomas.
- Despite being an estrogen receptor (ER)-regulated gene, GATA3 remains a valuable marker for differentiating primary and metastatic tumors, irrespective of molecular subtype.
