Cyclophilin B Is A Possible New Target For Treating Breast Cancer

Main Category: Breast Cancer
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 03 Jan 2009 - 0:00 PDT

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Dr. Charles Clevenger and colleagues at Northwestern University have uncovered that cyclophilin B may contribute to progression in breast cancer. Their report can be found in the January 2009 issue of The American Journal of Pathology.

The protein cyclophilin B affects cell division, motility, and death, all of which are altered in cancerous cells. To explore the role of cyclophilin B-mediated gene regulation in breast cancer, Dr. Clevenger and colleagues inhibited cyclophilin B expression in breast cancer cells. They found that absence of cyclophilin B impacted 27 different protein networks and decreased cell proliferation, motility, and tumorigenesis. In addition, in human breast tissue, increases in cyclophilin B protein levels correlated with the presence of breast cancer metastases.

The studies by Fang et al "demonstrate that a decrease in cyclophilin B levels .. can profoundly alter the expression of genes and cellular functions relevant to the pathogenesis and progression of breast cancer. In this regard, the development of additional pharmacologic agents that specifically target each of the cyclophilins may have significant utility in the treatment of this disease."

Fang F, Flegler AJ, Du P, Lin S, Clevenger CV
"Expression of Cyclophilin B is Associated with Malignant Progression and Regulation of Genes Implicated in the Pathogenesis of Breast Cancer."
Am J Pathol 2009, 174:297-308

American Journal of Pathology, official journal of the American Society for Investigative Pathology, seeks to publish high-quality, original papers on the cellular and molecular biology of disease. The editors accept manuscripts that advance basic and translational knowledge of the pathogenesis, classification, diagnosis, and mechanisms of disease, without preference for a specific analytic method. High priority is given to studies on human disease and relevant experimental models using cellular, molecular, animal, biological, chemical, and immunological approaches in conjunction with morphology.

Source
Angela Colmone
American Journal of Pathology