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New oncogene of breast cancer discovered
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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American scientists have discovered a new oncogene of breast cancer called FAM83B, according to Business Standart. The results of the work of researchers from the Medical School of the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, led by Dr. Mark Jackson, are published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
"With the help of an objective screening method, we discovered the oncogene FAM83B, with excessive expression of this gene in mammary cells, normal cells begin to behave as cancerous," Jackson said. In their work, scientists used the technique of insertional mutagenesis. It allows to achieve the necessary mutations in the genes by inserting DNA into the cell through capillaries or special pipettes, the diameter of the tips of which varies from 0.5 to 10 micrometers.
In the course of the experiment, scientists have determined that the removal of FAM83B suppresses the proliferation of tumor cells. Analysis of tumor samples showed that the expression of this gene is significantly increased in cancer cells. It has also been shown that FAM83B is associated with the emergence of the most aggressive subtype of breast cancer, the so-called triple negative cancer. This subtype of the tumor is characterized by an increased ability to form metastases and a low survival rate of patients.
The discovery of FAM83B, according to scientists, opens up new opportunities for the development of drugs against three times negative breast cancer. "Our discovery provides the basis for developing a new treatment that will allow us to inhibit FAM83B in aggressive cancers that are difficult to cure.We are now trying to develop a drug that will suppress the function of this gene," Jackson said.
Breast cancer is one of the most common oncological diseases among women. Occasionally, it occurs in men, who make up less than one percent of the total number of cases. The number of cases of this malignant tumor has increased dramatically in developed countries over the past 40 years.
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