Molecular Mechanisms of Dietary Fatty Acids on Breast Cancer Growth and Development
Abstract
The link between diet and breast cancer has been long postulated and recently, extensively investigated. Identifying a molecular mechanism linking diet and breast cancer, however, has remained elusive. Recently, we identified an isoform of the cellular receptor called the peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma) in human breast cancer cell lines. Activation of PPAR can alternatively lead to tumor induction or differentiation into a more benign state, depending on the tissue and the isoform expressed. We and others have demonstrated that human breast cancer cell lines express PPAR gamma and that individual fatty acids are capable binding to and functioning as selective agonist or antagonist of PPAR. Furthermore, we present evidence that the signal transduction of PPAR can be mediated by the presence of the estrogen receptor. We have verified the fidelity of our transcriptional reporter system using anti sense expression vectors in transient transfection analysis and begun to examine the regulation of expression of this gene in breast cancer cells. These studies may lead to better understanding of the risk of specific dietary components as fatty acids can indeed function as hormones and further investigation could lead to changes in dietary guidelines. The implications of these studies could have a profound impact on both prevention and management of this devastating disease.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA405255
Entities
People
- Michael W. Kilgore
Organizations
- University of Kentucky