Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden have identified a protein that protects against the growth of breast tumors and that may be linked to a better prognosis in patients with this ailment. The results, published in Nature Communications, may contribute to the development of new therapies for difficult-to-treat forms of breast cancer. Breast cancer affects about 10% of women during their lifetime. Fewer treatment options are available for ER-negative breast cancers, which lack estrogen receptors (ERs) and therefore do not respond to hormone therapy. Particularly difficult to treat are so-called triple negative breast cancers, which not only lack the ER but also the progesterone receptor and the HER2 receptor.
The scientists identified a mechanism by which the ubiquitous protein GIT1 regulates so-called Notch signaling, which affects the initiation and growth of ER-negative breast cancer. Patients with high levels of GIT1 inhibited Notch signaling and protected against tumor growth, while low levels of GIT1 increased it. ER-negative breast tumors had lower levels of GIT1 than ER-positive breast tumors. In addition, ER-negative breast cancer patients with high levels of GIT1 have a better prognosis than those with low levels.
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