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Studying TGF-β Signaling and TGF-β-induced Epithelial-to-mesenchymal Transition in Breast Cancer and Normal Cells
Published on: October 27, 2020
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Negative feedback loop between ZBTB7A and TGF-β in breast cancer
Yingying Shen1, Renxian Cao1,2, Wen Liu2
1Institute of Clinical Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of The University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, P.R. China.
Oncology Letters
|August 10, 2017
Summary
Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling impacts breast cancer metastasis. This study found a negative feedback loop between ZBTB7A and TGF-β, suggesting ZBTB7A as a potential prognostic biomarker for breast cancer.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Aberrant Zinc finger and BTB domain containing 7A (ZBTB7A) expression is noted in breast cancer, but its role is debated.
- Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) is a key cytokine promoting breast cancer metastasis.
- The interplay between ZBTB7A and TGF-β in breast cancer pathogenesis is currently unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between ZBTB7A and TGF-β signaling in breast cancer.
- To elucidate the regulatory relationship between ZBTB7A and TGF-β1.
- To assess the potential of ZBTB7A as a prognostic biomarker in breast cancer.
Main Methods:
- Investigated TGF-β1-induced ZBTB7A expression via the phosphoinositide 3-kinase-protein kinase B pathway in human breast cancer cells.
- Assessed ZBTB7A's effect on TGF-β1 expression by measuring promoter activity.
- Utilized tissue microarray and human cancer genomics analysis to evaluate ZBTB7A and TGF-β1 expression correlation in patient tissues.
Main Results:
- TGF-β1 stimulation upregulated ZBTB7A expression through the PI3K/Akt pathway in breast cancer cells.
- ZBTB7A was found to suppress TGF-β1 expression by inhibiting its promoter activity, indicating a negative feedback loop.
- No significant correlation was observed between ZBTB7A and TGF-β1 expression levels in clinical breast cancer samples.
Conclusions:
- A novel negative feedback loop exists between ZBTB7A and TGF-β signaling in breast cancer.
- ZBTB7A may act as a modulator of breast cancer metastasis.
- ZBTB7A shows potential as a prognostic biomarker for breast cancer patients.
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