Friday, June 15, 2012

Tracking breast cancer cells on the move

Tracking breast cancer cells on the move [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 14-Jun-2012
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Contact: Angela Hopp
240-283-6614
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

An important gene for bone metastasis

Breast cancer cells frequently move from their primary site and invade bone, decreasing a patient's chance of survival. This process of metastasis is complex, and factors both within the breast cancer cells and within the new bone environment play a role. In next week's Journal of Biological Chemistry "Paper of the Week," Roger Gomis and colleagues at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Spain investigated how breast cancer cells migrate to bone.

In particular, they examined the role of NOG, a gene important to proper bone development. Previously, NOG was associated with bone metastasis in prostate cancer, but its specific role in breast cancer to bone metastasis remained unknown.

Gomis and colleagues showed that once breast cancer cells are on the move NOG enables them to specifically invade the bone and establish a tumor. It does this in two ways. First, NOG escalates bone degeneration by increasing the number of mature osteoclasts (bone cells that break down bone), essentially creating a spot in the bone for the metastatic breast cancer cells to take up residence. Second, NOG keeps the metastatic breast cancer cells in a stem-cell-like state, which enables them to propagate and form a new tumor in the bone environment.

Gomis explains that the reason NOG expression leads to an increased potential for breast cancer to bone metastasis is because it not only affects features inherent to aggressive cancer cells (such as the ability to establish a new tumor) but also influences properties of the bone environment (such as osteoclast degeneration of bone).

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From the article: "Identification of NOG as a specific breast cancer bone metastasis-supporting gene" by Maria Tarragona, Milica Pavlovic, Anna Arnal-Estap, Jelena Urosevic, Mnica Morales, Marc Guiu, Evarist Planet, Eva Gonzlez-Surez, Roger R. Gomis

Link to "Paper in Press": http://www.jbc.org/content/early/2012/04/30/jbc.M112.355834.full.pdf+html

Corresponding author: Roger R. Gomis, Oncology Programme, Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Barcelona, Spain; e-mail: roger.gomis@irbbarcelona.org

About the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

The ASBMB is a nonprofit scientific and educational organization with more than 12,000 members worldwide. Most members teach and conduct research at colleges and universities. Others conduct research in various government laboratories, at nonprofit research institutions and in industry. The Society's student members attend undergraduate or graduate institutions. For more information about ASBMB, visit www.asbmb.org.


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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Tracking breast cancer cells on the move [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 14-Jun-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Angela Hopp
240-283-6614
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

An important gene for bone metastasis

Breast cancer cells frequently move from their primary site and invade bone, decreasing a patient's chance of survival. This process of metastasis is complex, and factors both within the breast cancer cells and within the new bone environment play a role. In next week's Journal of Biological Chemistry "Paper of the Week," Roger Gomis and colleagues at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Spain investigated how breast cancer cells migrate to bone.

In particular, they examined the role of NOG, a gene important to proper bone development. Previously, NOG was associated with bone metastasis in prostate cancer, but its specific role in breast cancer to bone metastasis remained unknown.

Gomis and colleagues showed that once breast cancer cells are on the move NOG enables them to specifically invade the bone and establish a tumor. It does this in two ways. First, NOG escalates bone degeneration by increasing the number of mature osteoclasts (bone cells that break down bone), essentially creating a spot in the bone for the metastatic breast cancer cells to take up residence. Second, NOG keeps the metastatic breast cancer cells in a stem-cell-like state, which enables them to propagate and form a new tumor in the bone environment.

Gomis explains that the reason NOG expression leads to an increased potential for breast cancer to bone metastasis is because it not only affects features inherent to aggressive cancer cells (such as the ability to establish a new tumor) but also influences properties of the bone environment (such as osteoclast degeneration of bone).

###

From the article: "Identification of NOG as a specific breast cancer bone metastasis-supporting gene" by Maria Tarragona, Milica Pavlovic, Anna Arnal-Estap, Jelena Urosevic, Mnica Morales, Marc Guiu, Evarist Planet, Eva Gonzlez-Surez, Roger R. Gomis

Link to "Paper in Press": http://www.jbc.org/content/early/2012/04/30/jbc.M112.355834.full.pdf+html

Corresponding author: Roger R. Gomis, Oncology Programme, Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Barcelona, Spain; e-mail: roger.gomis@irbbarcelona.org

About the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

The ASBMB is a nonprofit scientific and educational organization with more than 12,000 members worldwide. Most members teach and conduct research at colleges and universities. Others conduct research in various government laboratories, at nonprofit research institutions and in industry. The Society's student members attend undergraduate or graduate institutions. For more information about ASBMB, visit www.asbmb.org.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


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