Stromal Components of Breast Cancer Progression.
Abstract
Angiogenesis has been shown to be a sensitive prognostic indicator for many solid tumors, including breast cancer. Since knowing the function of uniquely expressed genes could determine what is different about tumor-associated blood vessels, enabling cancer therapy to be targeted to them while sparing normal blood vessels, we proposed to study the biological process of angiogenesis in xenografts of human breast cancer into nude mice. Using tumors produced in ovariectomized mice by untransfected MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells or the same cells transfected with one of two fibroblast growth factors or vascular endothelial cell growth factor, and conditions of no treatment, estrogen or tamoxifen treatment, we have shown that edge-associated and intratumoral blood vessels in the xenograft tumors are positively correlated with favorable growth conditions. Moreover, we can distinguish rapidly growing tumors based on the tumor cells' incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine. Thus, we can study gene expression in pertinent blood vessels in rapidly growing tumors. Tumor-associated endothelial cells have been isolated from growing tumors produced in mice by these cells or from mammary fat pads, RNA extracted and used for a differential cloning technique, amplified fragment-length polymorphism. We are in the process of searching for differentially expressed genes in these RNA populations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA354318
Entities
People
- Sandra W. Mcleskey
Organizations
- Georgetown University