Novel Oncogenes in Breast Cancer Development
Abstract
The complex nature of the genetic events that trigger the development of breast cancer remain to be identified. Our laboratory has developed and refined a retrovirus-based gene transfer assay to identify activated oncogenes in breast cancer. Progress during the past year has involved: (1) development of better functional screens for activated oncogenes; (2) evaluation of protocols to improve the rescue of cDNAs from the transformed cell populations; and (3) preliminary analyses of isolated transforming genes. We have generated several retrovirus-based cDNA expression libraries that represent genes expressed in noninvasive (T4TD) or invasive (MDA-MB4682, BT549 and Hs578T) human breast cancer cell lines. The T47D library has been introduced into Rat-1 rodent fibroblasts and RIE-1 rat intestinal epithelial cells and transforming activity was then assayed for. Whereas empty retrovirus vector-infected cells did not show any transforming activity, cultures infected with breast tumor cDNAs showed the appearance of over 100 colonies of transformed cells. Two isolates from our analyses encode proteins with known growth-promoting functions: the Raf-1 serine/threonine kinase and the fibroblast growth factor receptor 2. A third, syntaxin 6, a protein involved in intracellular vesicular transport has not been linked previously to oncogenesis.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA403648
Entities
People
- Channing Der
- James J. Fiordalisi
Organizations
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill