Genes playing a role in breast cancer metastasis have been found

Studies performed at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York have shown that COX2 and HB-EGF - genes that play a role in cell motility – are also genetic regulators in the spread of breast cancer metastases in brain tissue. The third gene, ST6GALNAC5, is involved in the penetration of cancer cells into the bloodstream and their overcoming of the blood-brain barrier.

As a rule, breast cancer metastases in the brain are detected several years after the removal of the tumor itself. Based on this, it can be assumed that cancer cells that have managed to spread throughout the body initially do not have the specific functions necessary to overcome the dense network of capillaries that form the blood-brain barrier. This barrier prevents the penetration of cells and molecules circulating with the bloodstream to the brain tissues. To form metastases in the brain, cancer cells must not only overcome the blood-brain barrier, but also adapt to a new "habitat".

This study was performed on isolated cancer cells, mainly affecting the brain, taken from patients with progressive disease. Combining a number of methods – building gene expression profiles, testing on an animal model and analyzing clinical data – Dr. Massagué and colleagues identified several genes that selectively contribute to the penetration of metastases into the brain.

Thus, ST6GALNAC5, an enzyme that is normally active only in brain tissues, takes part in changing the composition of the membrane of cancer cells, which increases their ability to pass the barrier. These results drew the attention of researchers to the role of the composition of the cell membrane in the development of metastases, which had not previously been paid attention to.

The COX2 and HB-EGF genes were previously known to also be involved in lung cancer metastasis. Now their role in breast cancer metastasis to the brain is shown. The presence of such single mediators explains that in patients with breast cancer, lung metastases are often associated with brain metastases.

The data obtained are important for understanding the mechanisms of metastasis spread and developing possible approaches to cancer treatment, especially gene therapy methods. Work in this direction will continue in the near future.

Portal "Eternal youth" www.vechnayamolodost.ru According to Newswise: Genes Found to Play a Role in Breast Cancer's Spread to the Brain07.05.2009