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Thresia Thomas
Professor
UMDNJ-RWJMS
Dept. of Environmental &
Occupational Medicine
Clinical Academic Building. Room 7090
New Brunswick. NJ 08903
(732) 418-8458
FAX - 8473
thomasth@umdnj.edu |
Estrogens and polyamines in breast
cancer cell proliferation and signaling
Breast cancer cell cycle could be stimulated by estradiol and inhibited
by antiestrogens. Early studies indicated that estradiol stimulated cell
growth as well as antiestrogen-mediated growth inhibition involve events
in G1 phase. If characteristics of cell cycle traverse in yeast is conserved
in mammalian cells. G1 cyclins should be important in estrogenic stimulation
of breast cancer cell growth. In addition. we found that mitotic cyclins
are aberrantly expressed in the G1 phase of breast cancer cells. Characterization
of the expression and function of cyclins and dependent kinases in breast
cancer cell cycle regulation and utilization of this information in development
of novel therapeutics for breast cancer is our goal in this area.
Polyamines. putrescine. spermidine and spermine. were discovered nearly
400 years ago. but multiple functions of these molecules are still not clear.
Since these molecules are essential for the cell growth and differentiation
and increased concentrations of polyamines are found in cancer cells compared
to normal cells. polyamines and their biosynthetic enzymes are appropriate
targets for development of cancer therapy. Thus polyamine analogs are important
in understanding cell growth and differentiation pathways and as therapeutic
agents. Our recent observation that polyamines stabilize triplex DNA further
provide opportunities for utilizing polyamines in oligonucleotide based
therapeutics.
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