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Updated: Aug 14, 2026
09:29
Studying Triple Negative Breast Cancer Using Orthotopic Breast Cancer Model
Published on: March 20, 2020
Homer3 Promotes Aggressive Phenotypes in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Through Cell Cycle- and MYC-Associated
Kuei-Yen Tsai1,2,3, Yu-Jia Chang1,4,5,6, Jang-Chun Lin1,7
1Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|August 13, 2026
Summary
Homer3 protein promotes aggressive breast cancer (BC) and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) by driving cell proliferation and MYC signaling. Reducing Homer3 may offer a new therapeutic strategy for TNBC patients.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Homer proteins are crucial scaffold proteins in signal transduction.
- The specific role of Homer3 in breast cancer (BC), especially triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), is not well understood.
- Understanding Homer3's function is vital for developing targeted therapies for aggressive BC subtypes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the clinical significance and functional role of Homer3 in BC and TNBC.
- To correlate Homer3 expression with patient prognosis and molecular pathways.
- To explore Homer3 as a potential therapeutic target in TNBC.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of TCGA and GEO datasets for Homer3 expression and patient survival.
- Kaplan-Meier survival analysis to assess prognostic value.
- Pathway enrichment and gene set variation analysis (GSVA) for co-expressed genes.
- Functional studies using TNBC cell lines with Homer3 knockdown or overexpression (proliferation, migration, invasion assays).
Main Results:
- Homer3 expression is elevated in breast tumors and linked to poor prognosis in BC and TNBC.
- Homer3 is upregulated in TNBC and inversely correlated with ER/PR status.
- Homer3 knockdown inhibits TNBC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion; overexpression enhances these.
- Homer3 co-expressed genes are enriched in cell cycle and MYC signaling pathways.
Conclusions:
- Homer3 expression is associated with aggressive phenotypes and proliferative pathways in BC, particularly TNBC.
- Homer3 plays a significant role in TNBC progression, potentially through MYC and cell cycle regulation.
- Homer3 represents a potential therapeutic vulnerability in TNBC.
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