Cancer Biology Commons^™

Membrane Expression Of Thymidine Kinase 1 And Potential Clinical Relevance In Lung, Breast, And Colorectal Malignancies, Evita G. Weagel, Weston Burrup, Roman Kovtun, Edwin J. Valazquez, Abigail M. Felsted, Michelle H. Townsend, Zachary E. Ence, Erica Suh, Stephen Piccolo, K. Scott Weber, Richard A. Robison, Kim Oneill

Faculty Publications

Background: Lung, breast, and colorectal malignancies are the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the world causing over 2.8 million cancer-related deaths yearly. Despite efforts to improve prevention methods, early detection, and treatments, survival rates for advanced stage lung, breast, and colon cancer remain low, indicating a critical need to identify cancer-specific biomarkers for early detection and treatment. Thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) is a nucleotide salvage pathway enzyme involved in cellular proliferation and considered an important tumor proliferation biomarker in the serum. In this study, we further characterized TK1’s potential as a tumor biomarker and immunotherapeutic target and clinical relevance. …

Chronic Cadmium Exposure Alters Erα Dependency And Drug Sensitivity Of Breast Cancer Cells, Mathew Bloomfield

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

The global prevalence of breast cancer in women illustrates the importance of identifying factors that contribute to disease onset and progression. Endogenous and environmental agents that interact with estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) have been shown to play a role in breast cancer etiology. Evidence from epidemiological studies and animal models has suggested that cadmium, a heavy metal that can activate ERα, contributes to the development and progression of breast cancer. Additionally, our lab showed that chronic cadmium exposure altered the expression of several ERα-responsive genes and increased the malignancy of MCF7 breast cancer cells. Although these studies support cadmium’s function …

Deciphering The Role Of Human Arylamine N-Acetyltransferase 1 (Nat1) In Breast Cancer Cell Metabolism Using A Systems Biology Approach., Samantha Marie Carlisle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Human arylamine N-acetyltransferase 1 (NAT1) is a phase II xenobiotic metabolizing enzyme found in almost all tissues. NAT1 can additionally hydrolyze acetyl-coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) in the absence of an arylamine substrate. NAT1 expression varies inter-individually and is elevated in several cancers including estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancers. Additionally, multiple studies have shown the knockdown of NAT1, by both small molecule inhibition and siRNA methods, in breast cancer cells leads to decreased invasive ability and proliferation and decreased anchorage-independent colony formation. However, the exact mechanism by which NAT1 expression affects cancer risk and progression remains unclear. Additionally, consequences …

High Salt Induces P-Glycoprotein Mediated Treatment Resistance In Breast Cancer Cells Through Store Operated Calcium Influx, Duaa Babaer, Suneetha Amara, Michael Ivy, Yan Zhao, Philip E. Lammers, Jens M. Titze, Venkataswarup Tiriveedhi

Biology Faculty Research

Recent evidence from our laboratory has demonstrated that high salt (Δ0.05 M NaCl) induced inflammatory response and cancer cell proliferation through salt inducible kinase-3 (SIK3) upregulation. As calcium influx is known to effect inflammatory response and drug resistance, we examined the impact of high salt on calcium influx in breast cancer cells. Treatment of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells with high salt induced an enhanced intracellular calcium intensity, which was significantly decreased by store operated calcium entry (SOCE) inhibitor co-treatment. Further, high salt induced P-glycoprotein (P-gp) mediated paclitaxel drug resistance in breast cancer cells. Murine tumor studies demonstrated that injection of …

Investigating Invasion In Ductal Carcinoma In Situ With To Pographical Single Cell Genome Sequencing, Anna Casasent, Anna Casasent

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Synchronous Ductal Carcinoma in situ (DCIS-IDC) is an early stage breast cancer invasion in which it is possible to delineate genomic evolution during invasion because of the presence of both in situ and invasive regions within the same sample. While laser capture microdissection studies of DCIS-IDC examined the relationship between the paired in situ (DCIS) and invasive (IDC) regions, these studies were either confounded by bulk tissue or limited to a small set of genes or markers. To overcome these challenges, we developed Topographic Single Cell Sequencing (TSCS), which combines laser-catapulting with single cell DNA sequencing to measure genomic copy …

Deciphering The Roles Of Δnp63 In Regulating Epithelial To Mesenchymal Transition, Cancer Progression And Metastasis, Ngoc Bui

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

p63 is a member of the p53 family, a well-known tumor suppressor which is considered the guardian of the genome. The TP63 gene encodes multiple isoforms that can be categorized into two main isoforms, TAp63 and ΔNp63, which are expressed in different cellular compartments and have distinct functions in many biological processes. While the Flores laboratory identified TAp63 as a tumor and metastasis suppressor, the precise roles of ΔNp63 isoforms in tumorigenesis and metastasis remain elusive. ΔNp63 is the predominant p63 isoform expressed in the epidermis and plays essential roles in regulating epidermal development and homeostasis. Utilizing a ΔNp63-conditional …

Anti-Proliferative Effects Of Garcinia Fruits In Breast Cancer Cells, Harini Anandhi Senthilkumar

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Breast cancer continues to be the second leading cause of death in women, even with the recent advances in research that has led to an improved understanding of molecular pathways and targets. Increasing mortality due to recurrence and lack of targeted drugs, especially in aggressive breast cancer subtypes such as triple negative breast cancer, has gained attention from the research community. With nearly 50% of the commonly used cancer drugs being sourced from plants, bioactive small molecules derived from a natural origin have immense potential as therapeutics. This study focuses on the anti-proliferative activities of benzophenones isolated from the edible …

Nanopulse Stimulation (Nps) Induces Tumor Ablation And Immunity In Orthotopic 4t1 Mouse Breast Cancer: A Review, Stephen J. Beebe, Brittany P. Lassiter, Siqi Guo

Bioelectrics Publications

Nanopulse Stimulation (NPS) eliminates mouse and rat tumor types in several different animal models. NPS induces protective, vaccine-like effects after ablation of orthotopic rat N1-S1 hepatocellular carcinoma. Here we review some general concepts of NPS in the context of studies with mouse metastatic 4T1 mammary cancer showing that the postablation, vaccine-like effect is initiated by dynamic, multilayered immune mechanisms. NPS eliminates primary 4T1 tumors by inducing immunogenic, caspase-independent programmed cell death (PCD). With lower electric fields, like those peripheral to the primary treatment zone, NPS can activate dendritic cells (DCs). The activation of DCs by dead/dying cells leads to increases …

Alternative Splicing Of Cytoplasmic Polyadenylation Element Binding Protein 2 Is Modulated Via Serine Arginine Splicing Factor 3 In Cancer Metastasis, James T. Deligio, James Thomas Deligio

Theses and Dissertations

Our laboratory delineated a role for alternative pre-mRNA splicing (AS) in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). We found the translational regulator cytosolic polyadenylation element binding protein 2 (CPEB2) which has two isoforms, CPEB2A and CPEB2B, is alternatively spliced during acquisition of anoikis resistance (AnR) and metastasis. The splicing event which determines the CPEB2 isoform is via inclusion/ exclusion of exon four in the mature mRNA transcript. The loss of CPEB2A with a concomitant increase in CPEB2B is required for TNBC cells to metastasize in vivo. We examined RNAseq profiles of TNBC cells which had CPEB2 isoforms specifically downregulated to …

Potential Anticancer Effect Of Prostratin Through Sik3 Inhibition, Dalal Alotaibi, Suneetha Amara, Terrance L. Johnson, Venkataswarup Tiriveedhi

Biology Faculty Research

Prostratin, a phorbol ester natural plant compound, has been demonstrated to exert an anti‑retroviral effect through activation of latent cluster of differentiation (CD)4+T lymphocytes and inhibition of viral entry into the cell through downregulation of chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) expression. However, the potential effect of prostratin on cancer is yet to be defined. As CXCR4 is well known to induce cancer migration, it was hypothesized that prostratin induces an anti‑cancer effect through inhibition of CXCR4 expression. The authors previously demonstrated that high stimulating conditions (sub‑minimal IL‑17, 0.1 ng/ml, synergized with high salt, Δ0.05 M NaCl) promote breast cancer cell …

Oncostatin M Promotes Breast Cancer Metastasis: Increased Expression Of Pro-Angiogenic Factors, Inflammatory Cytokine Expression, And Circulating Tumor Cell Numbers, Ken Tawara

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer type in women and its resultant mortality is second only to lung cancer worldwide. While breast cancer is known to have many risk factors, inflammation remains an unquantifiable risk, and it can arise from obesity, depression, poor health, autoimmune diseases, and other conditions that cause systemic chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation is gaining recognition for its role in cancer development, the potentiation of a metastatic phenotype in cancer cells, and decreased survival in breast cancer patients. In particular, inflammatory cytokines in the interleukin-6 (IL-6) family have been shown to promote an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), …

Nanoparticle Delivery Of Mir-34a Eradicates Long-Term-Cultured Breast Cancer Stem Cells Via Targeting C22orf28 Directly, Xiaoti Lin, Weiyu Chen, Fengqin Wei, Binhua P. Zhou, Mien-Chie Hung, Xiaoming Xie

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Rationale: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been implicated as the seeds of therapeutic resistance and metastasis, due to their unique abilities of self-renew, wide differentiation potentials and resistance to most conventional therapies. It is a proactive strategy for cancer therapy to eradicate CSCs. Methods: Tumor tissue-derived breast CSCs (BCSC), including XM322 and XM607, were isolated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS); while cell line-derived BCSC, including MDA-MB-231.SC and MCF-7.SC, were purified by magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS). Analyses of microRNA and mRNA expression array profiles were performed in multiple breast cell lines. The mentioned nanoparticles were constructed following the standard molecular cloning …

Traceable Peo-Poly(Ester) Micelles For Breast Cancer Targeting: The Effect Of Core Structure And Targeting Peptide On Micellar Tumor Accumulation, Shyam M. Garg, Igor M. Paiva, Mohammad R. Vakili, Rania Soudy, Kate Agopsowicz, Amir H. Soleimani, Mary Hitt, Kamaljit Kaur, Afsaneh Lavasanifar

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Traceable poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(ester) micelles were developed through chemical conjugation of a near-infrared (NIR) dye to the poly(ester) end by click chemistry. This strategy was tried for micelles with poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) or poly(α-benzyl carboxylate-ε-caprolactone) (PBCL) cores. The surface of both micelles was also modified with the breast cancer targeting peptide, P18-4. The results showed the positive contribution of PBCL over PCL core on micellar thermodynamic and kinetic stability as well as accumulation in primary orthotopic MDA-MB-231 tumors within 4–96 h following intravenous administration in mice. This was in contrast to in vitro studies where better uptake of PEO-PCL versus PEO-PBCL micelles …

Molecular And Biochemical Studies Of Several Novel Estrogen Receptor Alpha-Interacting Proteins In Breast Cancer Cells, Ahmed Edan Dhamad

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in women, and approximately 70% of incidences are estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer. ERα and its interacting proteins play a key role in the development and progression of breast cancer. However, how ERα regulates its target gene expression and hence cell proliferation is not fully understood. To enhance our understanding of the molecular mechanism by which ERα regulates gene expression, we used a quantitative proteomic method to identify cellular proteins that interact with ERα. The first group of proteins that were identified to associate with ERα are heat shock proteins …

Critical Role Of Sik3 In Mediating High Salt And Il-17 Synergy Leading To Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation, Suneetha Amara, Ciera Majors, Bipradas Roy, Salisha Hill, Kristie L. Rose, Elbert L. Myles, Venkataswarup Tiriveedhi

Biology Faculty Research

Chronic inflammation is a well-known precursor for cancer development and proliferation. We have recently demonstrated that high salt (NaCl) synergizes with sub-effective interleukin (IL)-17 to induce breast cancer cell proliferation. However, the exact molecular mechanisms mediating this effect are unclear. In our current study, we adopted a phosphoproteomic-based approach to identify salt modulated kinase-proteome specific molecular targets. The phosphoprotemics based binary comparison between heavy labelled MCF-7 cells treated with high salt (Δ0.05 M NaCl) and light labelled MCF-7 cells cultured under basal conditions demonstrated an enhanced phosphorylation of Serine-493 of SIK3 protein. The mRNA transcript and protein expression analysis of …

The P53 Independent Functions Of Estrogen-Activated Mdm2 In Cell Signaling And Mammary Architecture, Nandini Kundu

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancers often have MDM2 overexpression indicating a critical role for MDM2 in breast cancer tumorigenesis. The cancer genome atlas (TCGA) found that increased MDM2 expression is one of the four pathways that correlate with all breast cancer subtypes. MDM2 is mainly known as the negative regulator of wild type p53. However, aggressive breast cancers often have MDM2 overexpression and mutant p53 (mtp53). We previously reported that MDM2 provides an estrogen-mediated proliferative advantage to MCF-7 breast cancer cells (ER+, MDM2 overexpression, wild type p53), independent of wild type p53 in both 2D and 3D culture conditions. …

The Role Of Ehd2 In Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Tumorigenesis And Progression, Timothy A. Bielecki

Theses & Dissertations

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) comprises 10%-15% of all breast cancer cases, yet is clinically challenging due to lack of targeted therapies which leads to higher mortality. Molecular subtyping has identified the most aggressive subclasses of breast cancer to be enriched in components of caveolae. While caveolae have been linked to many biological processes, their precise role in TNBC is still poorly understood. EHD2, a member of the C-terminal EPS15-Homology Domain-containing (EHD) protein family, has emerged as a new regulator of caveolae dynamics and is essential to maintain a stable membrane pool of caveolae. Studies in model cells demonstrate that caveolae …

Targeting Autophagy To Improve Efficacy Of Cdk4/6 Inhibition In Breast Cancer, Smruthi Vijayaraghavan

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Deregulation of the cell cycle machinery is a hallmark of cancer, leading to aberrant proliferation and tumorigenesis. The crucial role of the CDK4/6-Cyclin D pathway has led to the development and FDA approval (palbociclib, ribociclib) of CDK4/6 inhibitors for the treatment of advanced estrogen receptor positive breast cancer. However, three major clinical challenges remain: i) adverse events leading to discontinuation of therapy and ii) lack of reliable biomarkers to identify responsive patients and iii) acquired resistance to CDK4/6 inhibitors. Previous in vitro studies have shown that palbociclib mediated CDK4/6 inhibition induces G1 arrest and senescence in ER+ breast cancer cells, …

Activity Of Distinct Growth Factor Receptor Network Components In Breast Tumors Uncovers Two Biologically Relevant Subtypes, Moom Roosan, Shelley M. Macneil, David F. Jenkins, Gajendra Shrestha, Sydney R. Wyatt, Jasmine A. Mcquerry, Stephen R. Piccolo, Laura M. Heiser, Joe W. Gray, W. Evan Johnson, Andrea H. Bild

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Background
The growth factor receptor network (GFRN) plays a significant role in driving key oncogenic processes. However, assessment of global GFRN activity is challenging due to complex crosstalk among GFRN components, or pathways, and the inability to study complex signaling networks in patient tumors. Here, pathway-specific genomic signatures were used to interrogate GFRN activity in breast tumors and the consequent phenotypic impact of GRFN activity patterns.

Methods
Novel pathway signatures were generated in human primary mammary epithelial cells by overexpressing key genes from GFRN pathways (HER2, IGF1R, AKT1, EGFR, KRAS (G12V), RAF1, BAD). The pathway analysis toolkit Adaptive Signature Selection …

Mammary Extracellular Matrix Directs Differentiation Of Testicular And Embryonic Stem Cells To Form Functional Mammary Glands In Vivo, Robert D. Bruno, Jodie M. Fleming, Andrea L. George, Corinne A. Boulanger, Pepper Schedin, Gilbert H. Smith

School of Medical Diagnostics & Translational Sciences Publications

Previously, we demonstrated the ability of the normal mammary microenvironment (niche) to direct non-mammary cells including testicular and embryonic stem cells (ESCs) to adopt a mammary epithelial cell (MEC) fate. These studies relied upon the interaction of transplanted normal MECs with non-mammary cells within the mammary fat-pads of recipient mice that had their endogenous epithelium removed. Here, we tested whether acellular mammary extracellular matrix (mECM) preparations are sufficient to direct differentiation of testicular-derived cells and ESCs to form functional mammary epithelial trees in vivo. We found that mECMs isolated from adult mice and rats were sufficient to redirect testicular derived …

The Study Of The Functions And Regulation Of Mammalian Cap1 (Cyclase-Associated Protein 1), Haitao Zhang

Student Theses and Dissertations

CAP is a conserved actin-binding protein with versatile roles in promoting actin dynamics across species. Mammalian CAPs had been understudied compared to the first identified yeast homologues; their cellular functions remained to be better established. Moreover, CAP function regulation remained a completely uncharted area. Recent studies also implicated CAP in the invasiveness of human cancers. However, some of the evidence was not convincing and further studies were needed. The present study established and identified new cellular functions for mammalian CAP1, identified a regulatory mechanism as phosphorylation at the S307/S309 tandem site along with the cell signals controlling both phosphorylation and …

Investigating The Roles Of Δnp63 As A Suppressor Of Migration, Invasion, And Metastasis, Ramon E. Flores Gonzalez

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death and disease in the world. Considerable resources are spent to study and understand cancer, with the hope of developing new treatments and eventually cures that will help millions of people. Efforts to understand cancer are hindered by its inherent complexity and instability. Nonetheless, understanding the basics of tumor development and progression are the key to focused on studying the role of ΔNp63 in cancer, a p53 family member known to be involved in epithelial development, microRNA biogenesis, and stem cell maintenance. Using the strength of in vivo mouse models, we found …

Nfat5/Stat3 Interaction Mediates Synergism Of High Salt With Il-17 Towards Induction Of Vegf-A Expression In Breast Cancer Cells, Suneetha Amara, Dalal Alotaibi, Venkataswarup Tiriveedhi

Biology Faculty Research

Chronic inflammation has been considered an important player in cancer proliferation and progression. High salt (sodium chloride) levels have been considered a potent inducer of chronic inflammation. In the present study, the synergistic role of high salt with interleukin (IL)‑17 towards induction of the inflammatory and angiogenic stress factor vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)‑A was investigated. Stimulation of MCF-7 breast cancer cells with high salt (0.2 M NaCl) and sub‑minimal IL‑17 (1 ng/ml) enhanced the expression of VEGF-A (2.9 and 2.6-fold, respectively, P<0.05) compared with untreated cells. Furthermore, co‑treatment with both high salt and sub‑minimal IL‑17 led to a 5.9‑fold increase in VEGF‑A expression (P<0.01), thus suggesting a synergistic role of these factors. VEGF‑A promoter analysis and specific small interfering RNA knock‑down of transcription factors revealed that high salt induced VEGF‑A expression through nuclear factor of activated T‑cells (NFAT)5, while IL‑17 induced VEGF‑A expression via signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)3 signaling mechanisms. Treatment of normal human aortic endothelial cells with the supernatant of activated MCF‑7 cells enhanced cell migration and induced expression of migration‑specific factors, including vascular cell adhesion protein, β1 integrin and cluster of differentiation 31. These data suggest that high salt levels synergize with pro‑inflammatory IL‑17 to potentially induce cancer progression and metastasis through VEGF‑A expression. Therefore, low‑salt diet, anti‑NFAT5 and anti‑STAT3 therapies may provide novel avenues for enhanced efficiency of the current cancer therapy.

Oleanolic Acid Inhibits High Salt-Induced Exaggeration Of Warburg-Like Metabolism In Breast Cancer Cells, Suneetha Amara, Mu Zheng, Venkataswarup Tiriveedhi

Biology Faculty Research

Cancer cells have a proliferative advantage by utilizing intermediates of aerobic glycolysis (Warburg effect) for their macromolecule synthesis. Although the exact causes of this Warburg effect are unclear, high osmotic stress in solid tumor microenvironment is considered one of the important factors. Oleanolic acid (OA) is known to exert anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effect. In our current studies, using breast cancer cell lines, we determined the protective role of OA in high salt-mediated osmotic stress-induced cancer growth. Hypertonic (0.16 M NaCl) culture conditions enhanced the cancer cell growth (26 %, p < 0.05) and aerobic glycolysis as marked by increased glucose consumption (34 %, p < 0.05) and lactate production (25 %, p < 0.05) over untreated cells. This effect was associated with increased expression and activity of key rate-limiting enzymes of aerobic glycolysis, namely hexokinase, pyruvate kinase type M2, and lactate dehydrogenase A. Interestingly, this high salt-mediated enhanced expression of aerobic glycolytic enzymes was efficiently reversed by OA along with the decreased cancer cell proliferation. In cancer cells, enhanced aerobic glycolysis is associated with the decreased mitochondrial activity and mitochondrial-associated caspase activity. As expected, high salt further inhibited the mitochondrial related cytochrome oxidase and caspase-3 activity. However, OA efficiently reversed the high salt-mediated inhibition of cytochrome oxidase, caspase activity, and pro-apoptotic Bax expression, thus suggesting that OA induced mitochondrial activity and enhanced apoptosis. Taken together, our data indicate that OA efficiently reverses the enhanced Warburg-like metabolism induced by high salt-mediated osmotic stress along with potential application of OA in anti-cancer therapy.

Oleanolic Acid Inhibits High Salt-Induced Exaggeration Of Warburg-Like Metabolism In Breast Cancer Cells, Suneetha Amara, Mu Zheng, Venkataswarup Tiriveedhi

Chemistry Faculty Research

Cancer cells have a proliferative advantage by utilizing intermediates of aerobic glycolysis (Warburg effect) for their macromolecule synthesis. Although the exact causes of this Warburg effect are unclear, high osmotic stress in solid tumor microenvironment is considered one of the important factors. Oleanolic acid (OA) is known to exert anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effect. In our current studies, using breast cancer cell lines, we determined the protective role of OA in high salt-mediated osmotic stress-induced cancer growth. Hypertonic (0.16 M NaCl) culture conditions enhanced the cancer cell growth (26 %, p < 0.05) and aerobic glycolysis as marked by increased glucose consumption (34 %, p < 0.05) and lactate production (25 %, p < 0.05) over untreated cells. This effect was associated with increased expression and activity of key rate-limiting enzymes of aerobic glycolysis, namely hexokinase, pyruvate kinase type M2, and lactate dehydrogenase A. Interestingly, this high salt-mediated enhanced expression of aerobic glycolytic enzymes was efficiently reversed by OA along with the decreased cancer cell proliferation. In cancer cells, enhanced aerobic glycolysis is associated with the decreased mitochondrial activity and mitochondrial-associated caspase activity. As expected, high salt further inhibited the mitochondrial related cytochrome oxidase and caspase-3 activity. However, OA efficiently reversed the high salt-mediated inhibition of cytochrome oxidase, caspase activity, and pro-apoptotic Bax expression, thus suggesting that OA induced mitochondrial activity and enhanced apoptosis. Taken together, our data indicate that OA efficiently reverses the enhanced Warburg-like metabolism induced by high salt-mediated osmotic stress along with potential application of OA in anti-cancer therapy.

Role Of Cell Type And Genetic Alterations In Driving Breast Cancer Pathogenesis, Divya Bhagirath

Theses & Dissertations

Breast cancer is the second most leading cause of death among women in the United States. Several environmental and genetic factors contribute to the pathogenesis of the disease. It is classified into different subtypes based on expression of certain markers as well as that of set of genes that define the disease progression and associated mortality. Identification of various subtypes namely: Luminal-like (Luminal-A, Luminal-B), ErbB2 over-expressing, Basal-like and Claudin low types, showed an association of survival outcomes with that of the corresponding gene expression signatures, thus paving a way for therapeutic intervention. It further emphasizes the importance of nature of …

Role Of Ecdysoneless In Erbb2/Her2 Mediated Breast Oncogenesis, Shalis A. Ammons

Theses & Dissertations

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related deaths in women in the United States. The human Epidermal Growth Factor 2 (ErbB2) gene amplification and/or receptor overexpression subtype of breast cancer accounts for 25% of all breast cancers. A crucial regulator of the ErbB2 signaling pathway is the heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) and its interacting protein complex. One such complex is the R2TP/Prefoldin-like complex that is composed of four proteins, RUVBL1, RUVBL2, PIH1D1, and RPAP3 and seven prefoldin-like proteins. This complex has been shown to be involved in telomere elongation, ribosome biogenesis, protein stability; etc. We and …

The Role Of Ada3 Overexpression In Proliferation Through Enhancing Myc Expression, Nicolas I. Griffin

Theses & Dissertations

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease that is the second leading cause of cancer related deaths in women. Cancer is defined as abnormally heightened proliferation. In order for gene transcription and eventual translation to occur to drive the cell cycle to generate more cells, DNA must be uncoiled from nucleosomes by histone acetylation complexes. One of the key evolutionarily conserved components of these HAT complexes is alteration/deficiency in activation 3 (ADA3). In addition to the role in histone acetylation, this protein also functions as a coactivator for nuclear hormone receptors. Recent findings indicated that nuclear Ada3 correlates with ER+ breast …

Trim24 Orchestrates Metabolic Reprogramming And Emt In Breast Cancer, Kaushik Thakkar

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

In this dissertation, I report the oncogenic functions of an epigenetic regulator Tripartite Motif Protein 24 (TRIM24) coupled with metabolic reprogramming and epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) in breast cancer. TRIM24 was first established by our laboratory as a previously unknown negative regulator of p53 via its RING domain, as a co-regulator of nuclear receptors and a PHD/Bromodomain reader of specific histone modifications. TRIM24 expression correlates with poor prognosis of breast cancer, but the mechanisms of TRIM24-mediated oncogenesis are unknown. In the first part of my thesis, I found that TRIM24 is aberrantly expressed in early stages of breast cancer progression. …

Rerouting Pre-Existing Host Vaccine-Induced Immunity To Wards Breast Cancer, Bharat Kumar Reddy Chaganty

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

For decades, investigators have attempted to activate the immune system to prevent cancer metastasis or recurrence; however, owing to host immune tolerance to cancer antigens and the immunosuppressive environment at tumor sites, many such attempts have failed. The recent success of anti-CTLA4, PD-L1 and PD-1 antibodies targeting immune checkpoint pathways and HPV vaccines has renewed hope that patient survival can be increased through enhancing T-cell responses. We propose to test a novel approach that may bypass host immune tolerance to cancer cells. We hypothesize that host T-cell immunity acquired through vaccination against or natural infection with infectious diseases—e.g., influenza—can be …