Quantitation of pBP1, a Transcription Factor, in the Serum of Women with Breast Cancer

Beta protein 1 (BP1) is a transcription factor that belongs to the DLX4 homeobox gene family. BP1 protein (pBP1) has been shown to be activated in 80% of breast cancer tumors and that 100% of estrogen receptor (ER) negative tumors are positive for BP1. It was also found that pBP1 is secreted from breast cancer tumor cells through two methods of secretion: (1) direct secretion and (2) secretion in exosomes. Exosomes have been recently considered to be potential biological mediators of cancer. This finding thusly implicated exosomes as vehicles of secretion for pBP1. Due to BP1's apparent role in cell survival, breast cancer aggressiveness and metastatsis, as well as the discovery that it was secreted in exosomes, we thought that pBP1 could be used as a biomarker for breast cancer. The aim of this study was to develop a quantitative assay that detects the level of pBP1 in exosomes isolated from serum of women with metastatic breast cancer and to determine whether there is a higher level of pBP1 in serum from women with metastatic breast cancer compared to serum from normal women. By confirming this, the assay developed would have many uses in the clinic through aiding in prognosis, monitoring therapy and early detection.

Author

• Yamane, Kellie-Ann

Language

• en

Date created

• 2015

Type of Work

• Master's Thesis

License

• All rights reserved

Rights statement

• In Copyright

GW Unit

• Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Degree

• M.S.

Advisor

• Berg, Patricia

Persistent URL

•  https://scholarspace.library.gwu.edu/etd/ns064609g