Project description:Analyze TGF-beta pathway transcriptional regulation in breast cancer stem cells with different responses upon TGF-beta pathway activation. Total RNA from four breast cell lines grown as mammospheres treated with recombinant TGF-beta or a TGF-beta receptor I inhibitor was used in the analysis.
Project description:Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) comprises a key component in the tumor microenvironment. It is reported that TGF-β can be pro-tumorigenic or anti-tumorigenic depending on various contexts. Some of the triple negative breast cancers highly express TGF-β, but pro-tumorigenic function of TGF-β in triple negative breast cancer cells is not fully known. Therefore, we analyzed genome-wide gene expression changes after stimulation with TGF-β in a triple negative breast cancer cell line, Hs578T cells.
Project description:Cancer Associated Fibroblasts (CAF) are a dominant and critical cell type of the tumour microenvironment and can lead to breast cancer progression. TGF-β has been reported to influence fibroblast to myofibroblast activation, which is similar to cancer associated fibroblast phenotype. To understand the mechanism of TGF-β mediated CAF phenotype, we have performed a comparative proteomic analysis of conditioned media from CAF (isolated from breast cancer biopsy tissues) and normal mammary fibroblasts engineered to over-express TGF-β1. Liquid chromatography/ tandem mass spectrometry (LC ESI Q-TOF-MS/MS) assay of conditioned media and Venn analysis of the acquired data, revealed approximately 185 common proteins secreted by the three fibroblast types (CAF, normal mammary fibroblasts and TGF-β over expressing mammary fibroblasts). Among these, 12 proteins exclusively overlap between normal fibroblasts and CAF and 20 proteins exclusively overlap between CAF and TGF-β1 over-expressing fibroblasts. This analysis reveals interesting targets which may be important in activation phenotype of CAF and breast cancer progression.
Project description:TGF-betas have complex roles in tumorigenesis, with context-dependent effects that can either suppress or promote tumor progression. Our goal was to use integrated genomic approaches in a model of human breast cancer progression to identify core TGF-beta-regulated genes that specifically reflect the tumor suppressor activity of TGF-beta. The model consisted of the non-tumorigenic MCF10A (“M1”), the premalignant MCF10AT1k.cl2 (“M2”), the early malignant MCF10Ca1h (“M3”) and the highly malignant, metastatic MCF10Ca1a.cl1 (“M4”) cell lines. We have previously shown that tumor suppressor activity of TGF-beta is dependent on Smad3, and is lost in M4 cells. To identify how TGF-beta/Smad3 targets change with cancer progression, we performed promoter-wide Smad3 ChIP-chip on all four cell lines of the breast cancer progression model (M1-M4), following treatment with TGF-beta or vehicle control.
Project description:RATIONALE: Measuring levels of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) in the blood of patients with epithelial cancers (head and neck, lung, breast, colorectal, and prostate) may help doctors predict how patients will respond to treatment with radiation therapy.
PURPOSE: This research study is measuring levels of TGF-beta in patients with epithelial cancers who are undergoing radiation therapy.
Project description:Kynureninase is a member of a large family of catalytically diverse but structurally homologous pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) dependent enzymes known as the aspartate aminotransferase superfamily or alpha-family. The Homo sapiens and other eukaryotic constitutive kynureninases preferentially catalyze the hydrolytic cleavage of 3-hydroxy-l-kynurenine to produce 3-hydroxyanthranilate and l-alanine, while l-kynurenine is the substrate of many prokaryotic inducible kynureninases. The human enzyme was cloned with an N-terminal hexahistidine tag, expressed, and purified from a bacterial expression system using Ni metal ion affinity chromatography. Kinetic characterization of the recombinant enzyme reveals classic Michaelis-Menten behavior, with a Km of 28.3 +/- 1.9 microM and a specific activity of 1.75 micromol min-1 mg-1 for 3-hydroxy-dl-kynurenine. Crystals of recombinant kynureninase that diffracted to 2.0 A were obtained, and the atomic structure of the PLP-bound holoenzyme was determined by molecular replacement using the Pseudomonas fluorescens kynureninase structure (PDB entry 1qz9) as the phasing model. A structural superposition with the P. fluorescens kynureninase revealed that these two structures resemble the "open" and "closed" conformations of aspartate aminotransferase. The comparison illustrates the dynamic nature of these proteins' small domains and reveals a role for Arg-434 similar to its role in other AAT alpha-family members. Docking of 3-hydroxy-l-kynurenine into the human kynureninase active site suggests that Asn-333 and His-102 are involved in substrate binding and molecular discrimination between inducible and constitutive kynureninase substrates.