The key gene which promotes breast cancer development

Why does breast cancer develop? Why do some patients resist the established treatment? Researchers at the University of Basel have gained new insight into the molecular processes of breast tissue. Through recombinant human proteins, they identified the tumor suppressor gene LATS as a key participant in breast cancer development and resistance in therapy. The findings were published in the January 10 issue of Nature.

About one-third of patients do not respond to treatment or produce resistance. So far, it has not been possible to accurately predict which patients will respond to this treatment because scientists have not yet fully understood their underlying molecular mechanisms. In a comprehensive molecular study, a team of scientists led by Professor Mohamed Bentires-Alj from the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Basel now has identified an important participant called LATS. They demonstrated how this enzyme works with other proteins and how it affects the development and treatment of breast cancer.

Researchers are working on genes that inhibit the normal growth of cancer cells. In particular, they studied the tumor suppressor genes LATS1 and LATS2. Once the LATS is removed, the process in the breast tissue changes. After removal of LATS, the number of luminal precursor cells in the mammary gland epithelium increased. Luminal progenitor cells are the origin of most types of human breast cancer cells. "LATS balances the fate of cells in mammary tissue. And when it does not, the balance is broken, causing tumors to develop," Bentires-Alj explains.

In healthy breast tissue, LATS brings together estrogen receptor α and protein degradation mechanisms. Without LATS, the receptor can no longer be properly degraded, which has an adverse effect on cancer therapy. "We demonstrated that LATS-free cancer cells no longer respond to Fluvestrant, an agent that promotes the degradation of these estrogen receptor antagonists," said Bentires-Alj.

The removal of LATS also stabilizes the proteins YAP and TAZ, both of which are upregulated and promote cell proliferation in many cancers. "As we gain new insight into the molecular processes of healthy breast tissue, we now have a better understanding of how cancer cells are expanded, and why certain tumors are resistant to treatment," Basel scientist Bentires-Alj concluded. Flarebio offers recombinant proteins of good quality like recombinant CDH2.