The sodium/iodide symporter (NIS) mediates iodide uptake in lactating breast tissue and is expressed in some breast cancers. We have previously demonstrated that all-trans retinoic acid (tRA) stimulates NIS gene expression and the selective cytotoxic effect of beta-emitting radioiodide-131 ((131)I) in both in vitro and in vivo MCF-7 breast cancer cell systems. We studied the ability of natural ...

The function of Kv11.1 is emerging in breast cancer biology, as a growing body of evidence indicates that the hERG1/Kv11.1 potassium channel is aberrantly expressed in several cancer types including breast cancers.The biological effects of Kv11.1 channel blockers and their associated side effects are very well known but the potential use of Kv11.1 activators as an anticancer strategy are still ...

Phosphorylation of estrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha) at specific residues in transcription activation function 1 (AF-1) can stimulate ERalpha activity in a ligand-independent manner. This has led to the proposal that AF-1 phosphorylation and the consequent increase in ERalpha activity could contribute to resistance to endocrine therapies in breast cancer patients. Previous studies have shown th...

Progesterone (P), which signals through the P receptor (PR), is critical in normal development of the breast, but its signaling axis is also a major driver of breast cancer risk. Here we review recent advances in the understanding of P signaling in the normal human breast, with a focus on the importance of the balance between autocrine and paracrine signaling. To date, most data (which derive l...

The fetal isoform A of the insulin receptor (IR-A) is frequently overexpressed in a variety of malignancies including breast cancer. IR overexpression has a recognized role in cancer progression and resistance to anticancer therapies. In particular, IR-A has a peculiar mitogenic potential and is activated not only by insulin but also by IGF-2. Previously, we identified discoidin domain receptor...

Nifedipine is widely used as a calcium channel blocker (CCB) to treat angina and hypertension,but it is controversial with respect the risk of stimulation of cancers. In this study, we demonstrated that nifedipine promoted the proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells both invivo and invitro. However, verapamil, another calcium channel blocker, didn't exert the similar effects. Nifedip...

The alkyl esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid (parabens), which are used as preservatives in consumer products, possess oestrogenic activity and have been measured in human breast tissue. This has raised concerns for a potential involvement in the development of human breast cancer. In this paper, we have investigated the extent to which proliferation of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells can be incre...

The transcription factor GATA-3 is required for normal mammary gland development, and its expression is highly correlated with estrogen receptor alpha (ER alpha) in human breast tumors. However, the functional role of GATA-3 in ER alpha-positive breast cancers is yet to be established. Here, we show that GATA-3 is required for estradiol stimulation of cell cycle progression in breast cancer cel...

Aim of the study The authors present a novel and specific controlled ovarian stimulation protocol for fertility preservation in women with estrogen-positive receptor breast cancer undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The protocol foresees random start ovarian stimulation and the use of letrozole associated to tamoxifen. Material and methods Forty breast cancer patients were included in the st...

The nerve growth factor (NGF)-tyrosine kinase receptor TrkA plays a critical role in various neuronal and non-neuronal cell types by regulating cell survival, differentiation, and proliferation. In breast cancer cells, TrkA stimulation results in the activation of cellular growth, but downstream signaling largely remains to be described. Here we used a proteomics-based approach to identify part...