Genomic Study of Breast Cancer Genes
Abstract
Numerous microarray experiments have identified many genes that have altered expression during the progression of breast cancer. Dauer development in C. elegans is controlled primarily by a TGFbeta-related pathway, so this system is ideal for studying this signaling pathway. Our hypothesis is that genes that are identified by genetics as important regulators of dauer development will be important regulators of breast cancer progression. We identified genes that are implicated in TGFbeta signaling in C. elegans and genes that are implicated in breast cancer progression using microarray data. We tested the function of these genes in TGFbeta signaling in C. elegans by RNAI gene knockout. We hoped that the use of a relatively simple system to rapidly learn more about the function of a tumorigenic pathway in breast cancer, will provide a basic foundation for understanding how this pathway acts in the more complex context of breast cancer. We found that the assay for determining whether a particular gene affected dauer formation in C. elegans had unexpected problems, and we spent most of our effort solving these problems, and testing a small set of genes for roles in C. elegans TGFbeta signaling.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA443776
Entities
People
- Garth I. Patterson
Organizations
- Rutgers University–New Brunswick