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Is telomerase reactivation associated with the down-regulation of TGF β receptor-II expression in human breast cancer?

Overview of attention for article published in Cancer Cell International, July 2003
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Title
Is telomerase reactivation associated with the down-regulation of TGF β receptor-II expression in human breast cancer?
Published in
Cancer Cell International, July 2003
DOI 10.1186/1475-2867-3-9
Pubmed ID
Authors

Abd E Elkak, Robert F Newbold, Valene Thomas, Kefah Mokbel

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein that synthesizes telomeres and plays an important role in chromosomal stability and cellular immortalisation. Telomerase activity is detectable in most human cancers but not in normal somatic cells. TGF beta (transforming growth factor beta) is a member of a family of cytokines that are essential for cell survival and seems to be down-regulated in human cancer. Recent in vitro work using human breast cancer cell lines has suggested that TGF beta down-regulates the expression of hTERT (human telomerase reverse transcriptase) : the catalytic subunit of telomerase. We have therefore hypothesised that telomerase reactivation is associated with reduced immunohisto-chemical expression of TGF beta type II receptor (RII) in human breast cancer. METHODS: TGF beta RII immunohistochemical expression was determined in 24 infiltrating breast carcinomas with known telomerase activity (17 telomerase-positive and 7 telomerase-negative). Immunohistochemical expression of TGF beta RII was determined by a breast pathologist who was blinded to telomerase data. RESULTS: TGF beta RII was detected in all lesions. The percentage of stained cells ranged from 1-100%. The difference in TGF beta RII expression between telomerase positive and negative tumours was not statistically significant (p = 1.0). CONCLUSION: The results of this pilot study suggest that there is no significant association between telomerase reactivation and TGF-beta RII down-regulation in human breast cancer.

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The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 13 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Pakistan 1 8%
Unknown 12 92%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Researcher 5 38%
Student > Postgraduate 2 15%
Professor 1 8%
Lecturer 1 8%
Professor > Associate Professor 1 8%
Other 1 8%
Unknown 2 15%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 7 54%
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology 2 15%
Arts and Humanities 1 8%
Immunology and Microbiology 1 8%
Physics and Astronomy 1 8%
Other 0 0%
Unknown 1 8%