Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 23, 2025
11:56
In Vitro Bioluminescence Assay to Characterize Circadian Rhythm in Mammary Epithelial Cells
Published on: September 28, 2017
10.3K
Extracellular Acidosis Promotes Metastatic Potency via Decrease of the BMAL1 Circadian Clock Gene in Breast Cancer
Yong-Jin Kwon1,2, Eun-Bi Seo1,2, Sun-Ho Kwon1,2
1Department of Pharmacology and Biomedical Sciences, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 03080, Korea.
Cells
|April 23, 2020
Summary
Tumor hypoxia-induced acidosis reduces the circadian gene BMAL1, increasing breast cancer metastasis. Restoring BMAL1 levels by targeting acidic pH or using melatonin may prevent cancer spread.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Chronobiology
Background:
- Circadian gene disruption is linked to diseases like cancer.
- Mechanisms of circadian gene reduction in cancer remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the impact of tumor hypoxia-induced acidosis on the circadian gene BMAL1.
- Explore strategies to restore BMAL1 levels and inhibit acidosis-mediated breast cancer metastasis.
Main Methods:
- Utilized breast cancer cell lines under hypoxic and acidic conditions.
- Assessed BMAL1 protein levels, stability, and transcription.
- Investigated the role of melatonin and lactate dehydrogenase-A inhibition.
- Evaluated the effect of BMAL1 overexpression on metastasis.
Main Results:
- Hypoxia-induced acidosis decreased BMAL1 levels by reducing protein stability and inhibiting transcription.
- Melatonin prevented BMAL1 reduction by inhibiting lactate dehydrogenase-A.
- BMAL1 overexpression significantly alleviated acidosis-mediated metastasis.
Conclusions:
- Tumor acidosis promotes breast cancer metastasis by reducing BMAL1.
- Targeting tumor acidosis to sustain BMAL1 is a potential strategy for preventing metastasis.
Related Concept Videos
02:19Circadian Rhythms and Gene Regulation
4.4K
The biological clock is involved in many aspects of regulating complex physiology in all animals. It was in 1935 when German zoologists, Hans Kalmus and Erwin Bünning, discovered the existence of circadian rhythm in Drosophila melanogaster. However, the internal molecular mechanisms behind the circadian clock remained a mystery until 1984, when Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael W. Young discovered the expression of the Per gene oscillating over a 24-hour cycle. In subsequent...
4.4K
02:30Metastasis
6.3K
Metastasis is the spread of cancer cells from the original site to distant locations in the body. Cancer cells can spread via blood vessels (hematogenous) as well as lymph vessels in the body.
Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition
The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition or EMT is a developmental process commonly observed in wound healing, embryogenesis, and cancer metastasis. EMT is induced by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) or receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) ligands, which further...
Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition
The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition or EMT is a developmental process commonly observed in wound healing, embryogenesis, and cancer metastasis. EMT is induced by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) or receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) ligands, which further...
6.3K
03:03mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
4.5K
The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
The mTOR pathway or the...
4.5K