Protein inhibitor of activated STAT genes are differentially expressed in breast tumor tissues

Aim: Protein inhibitor of activated STAT ( PIAS) family includes transcriptional regulator proteins with SUMO E3 ligase activity. They regulate expression of several genes involved in cell proliferation, differentiation and survival. Method: We evaluated expression of PIAS1–4 genes in 54 breast cancer tissues and their paired adjacent noncancerous tissues. Results: PIAS2 and PIAS3 genes were significantly downregulated in tumoral tissues compared with adjacent noncancerous tissues. PIAS1–3 expressions were significantly lower in estrogen receptor (ER+) samples compared with ER- samples while PIAS4 had the opposite trend. PIAS3 expression was significantly higher in grade 1 samples compared with grade 2 samples. Conclusion: These findings highlight the role of PIAS genes in the pathogenesis of breast cancer and their association with determinants of response to antihormone therapies.