Researchers uncover a key ingredient for breast cancer initiation
Researchers from The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa have discovered a key ingredient for breast cancer development.
Their results published in PNAS show the protein Sox10 is needed for some tumours to form, grow, and spread to other parts of the body.
Most breast cancers begin in the milk-producing cells called the luminal epithelium. But exactly how they start is unclear.
In this study, a research team led by Dr. Luc Sabourin used a mouse model of HER2-positive breast cancer that normally develops breast tumours. Deleting Sox10 from the luminal cells of the milk ducts completely stopped tumours from forming.
The team also found that removing Sox10 from breast cancer tumour cells in a dish reduced their ability to self-renew. It also prevented these tumour cells from growing and spreading to other organs when put back into a mouse.
“These results suggest that blocking the function of Sox10 might help treat some forms of breast cancer,” said Dr. Luc Sabourin, senior scientist at The Ottawa Hospital and associate professor at the University of Ottawa. “Our next step is to find and test possible drugs that target this protein.”
Mouse mammary gland viewed under a microscope with Sox10 protein in red. Credit: Brennan Garland
Authors:
Brennan Garland, Samuel Delisle, John Abou-Hamad, Christiano de Souza, Riana Zuccarini, David P. Cook, Rebecca C. Auer, Luc A. Sabourin
Funding:
Canadian Institute of Health Research, Cancer Research Society, Breast Cancer Canada
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