Further analysis revealed that miR-27b increases during cancer progression, in direct proportion to the decrease in function of the ST14 gene.
They found that miR-27b promotes cell growth and cell invasion, suggesting that miR-27b acts as a breast cancer oncogene.
They also found that ST14 inhibits both cell growth and cell invasion, suggesting that ST14 is a breast cancer tumour suppressor gene and that it may also serve as a marker for the early detection of breast cancer.
"We are in the process of confirming these results and these studies will reveal whether ST14 can reduce breast tumour growth in animals. Blocking the miR-27b/ST14 interaction or rescuing ST14 function may be an effective therapeutic approach to advance breast cancer treatment," Alahari said.
The study has been published in the August 21, 2009 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Source-ANI
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