Study unlocks clues to breast cancer cells

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they may have found a way to unlock the mechanism that silences the estrogen receptor gene alpha in certain breast cancer cell lines.

Researchers at Philadelphia's Temple University, in a report published in the journal Cancer Research, showed that the presence of specific pRb2/p130 multimolecular complexes bound to the estrogen receptor gene alpha strongly correlates with the chemical modification of the gene, the university said Friday in a release.

Lead author Marcella Macaluso said the presence of a specific pRb2/p130 multimolecular complex may dictate a local change of the DNA structure of the estrogen receptor alpha gene and influence its susceptibility to chemical modification, as well as to different epigenetic alterations leading to estrogen receptor alpha silencing.

The researchers said the study will help scientists understand how the complex pattern of estrogen receptor gene alpha methylation and transcriptional silencing is generated, as well as the relationship between the pattern and its function during breast cancer progression.