The Role of Tumor Metastases Suppressor Gene, Drg-1, in Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among women in the US. Because metastatic disease is the major cause of death, it is crucial to understand the mechanism by which tumor cells metastasize to the distant organs so that we can identify a better therapeutic target. During this funding period, we found that the metastasis suppressor gene, Drg-1, was capable of down-regulating the ATF3 gene and thus suppressing metastases. We also found that Drg-1 is a good prognostic marker for patient outcome. Our results also suggest that the ATF3 pathway is a potential therapeutic target for patients with metastatic disease. We will focus our next year's effort on further clarification of the Drg-1 pathway and its relation to PTEN.
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