The Role of Lecithin: Retinol Acyltransferase (LRAT) Mediated Esterification of Vitamin A in Regulating Human Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation and Differentiation
Abstract
In this project, we stained for LRAT in normal vs malignant human breast tissues. Also, transgenic mice were generated in which human LRAT was ectopically expressed either in the suprabasal layer or in the basal layer of epithelial cells driven by the cytokeratin 10 promoter or the cytokeratin 14 promoter, respectively. The effects of ectopic LRAT expression on epithelial cell proliferation and differentiation were examined in these transgenic mice. We showed that with a normal level of retinol in the diet, the overexpression of human LRAT in the suprabasal layer or basal layer of the mouse epithelial cells affects mouse epithelial cell differentiation minimally. However, the epidermal hyperplasia induced by topical retinol treatment was greatly reduced in the human LRAT-expressing animals. These data suggest a role for LRAT in the maintenance of normal epithelial cells differentiation. Currently, studies are underway to assess the functions of LRAT in breast carcinoma prevention.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA435637
Entities
People
- Dan Su
Organizations
- Cornell University