Recent breast cancer research from the Center for Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling (CNRCS) has garnered the attention of the online research community. The November 2012 publication, “ERβ1 represses basal-like breast cancer epithelial to mesenchymal transition by destabilizing EGFR,” has consistently ranked among the most viewed online articles for , one of the most recognized breast cancer research journals.
“These findings provide further evidence that estrogen receptor-beta-1 has the potential to predict metastasis in breast cancer,” says research assistant professor Christoforos Thomas, who co-authored the article. “This could lead to improved survival rates in triple-negative cancers, which often can be more aggressive.”
Thomas and the team are dedicated to studying the role of the nuclear receptor estrogen receptor-beta1 (ERβ1) in breast cancer. By using ERβ1 to regulate epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process which alters the motility and invasiveness of cells, CNRCS researchers found that ERβ1 is capable of inhibiting EMT and the metastatic potential of basal-like breast cancer cells.
“Basal-like cancers are known to develop distant metastases associated with EMT,” says CNRCS director Dr. Jan-Åke Gustafsson. “We now have evidence that ERβ1 inhibits EMT thereby reducing the invasiveness of these cancer cells, strengthening the possibility that ERβ1 can help identify patients with basal-like cancer with lower risk to develop metastasis.”
In addition to currently ranking as the third-most viewed Breast Cancer Research article, the publication also was deemed “Highly accessed.” To view the abstract or download the provisional PDF, visit . The research was supported by the Emerging Technology Fund of Texas, the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, the Welch Foundation and the Swedish Cancer Society.
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