Reduced activity of the gene encoding a protein called integrin alpha 2 is an indicator of the formation of prostate and breast cancer metastasis and poor prognosis for patients, US researchers report in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Mary Zutter and a team from Vanderbilt University Medical Center investigated the role of the alpha 2 and beta 1 integrin proteins in cancer initiation and disease progression in mice with breast cancer. Integrins have been found to inhibit metastasis.
Scientists decided to check whether the results of studies on mice will find direct application in the clinic – to this end, they analyzed the genetic material of human breast and prostate cancers. The results showed that the expression of the alpha 2 integrin gene is decreased in cancer cells – an indicator of metastasis formation and poor prognosis for the patient. (PAP)