Role of Hunk and Punc in Breast Cancer and Mammary Development
Abstract
Major insights into the molecular mechanisms of cancer have been obtained by studies of a family of regulatory molecules known as protein kinases. Many protein kinases serve as relays for signals in the cell that regulate normal growth and cellular function. In addition, several members of this family of molecules have previously been shown to be involved in the development of breast cancer in humans. We have cloned two novel protein kinases, Hunk and Pnck, that are turned on in the breast during specific stages of pregnancy, and that appear to be turned on to different degrees in different subgroups of breast cancer. Our studies have demonstrated that HUNK and PNCK are expressed in subsets of human breast cancers, that HUNK expression is downregulated in a large subset of human primary breast cancers, and that PNCK expression is up-regulated in a large subset of human primary breast cancers. Our findings represent the first data implicating either a SNF1-related kinase or a CaM kinase in mammary carcinogenesis.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADB282196
Entities
People
- Lewis A Chodosh
Organizations
- University of Pennsylvania