Background Mutations in the CHK2 gene at chromosome 22q12.1 have been reported in families with Li-Fraumeni syndrome. Chk2 is an effector kinase that is activated in response to DNA damage and is involved in cell-cycle pathways and p53 pathways. Methods We screened 139 breast tumors for loss of heterozygosity at chromosome 22q, using seven microsatellite markers, and screened 119 breast tumors with single-strand conformation polymorphism and DNA sequencing for mutations in the CHK2 gene. Results Seventy-four of 139 sporadic breast tumors (53%) show loss of heterozygosity with at least one marker. These samples and 45 tumors from individuals carrying the BRCA2 999del5 mutation were screened for mutations in the CHK2 gene. In addition to putative polymorphic regions in short mononucleotide repeats in a non-coding exon and intron 2, a germ line variant (T59K) in the first coding exon was detected. On screening 1172 cancer patients for the T59K sequence variant, it was detected in a total of four breast-cancer patients, two colon-cancer patients, one stomach-cancer patient and one ovary-cancer patient, but not in 452 healthy individuals. A tumor-specific 5' splice site mutation at site +3 in intron 8 (TTgt [a → c]atg) was also detected. Conclusion We conclude that somatic CHK2 mutations are rare in breast cancer, but our results suggest a tumor suppressor function for CHK2 in a small proportion of breast tumors. Furthermore, our results suggest that the T59K CHK2 sequence variant is a low-penetrance allele with respect to tumor growth.

Background Disruption of the balance between apoptosis and proliferation is considered to be an important factor in the development and progression of tumours. In the present study we determined the in vivo cell kinetics along the spectrum of apparently normal epithelium, hyperplasia, preinvasive lesions and invasive carcinoma, in breast tissues affected by fibrocystic changes in which preinvasive and/or invasive lesions developed, as a model of breast carcinogenesis. Materials and methods A total of 32 areas of apparently normal epithelium and 135 ductal proliferative and neoplastic lesions were studied. More than one epithelial lesion per case were analyzed. The apoptotic index (AI) and the proliferative index (PI) were expressed as the percentage of TdT-mediated dUTP-nick end-labelling (TUNEL) and Ki-67-positive cells, respectively. The PI/AI (P/A index) was calculated for each case. Results The AIs and PIs were significantly higher in hyperplasia than in apparently normal epithelium (P = 0.04 and P = 0.0005, respectively), in atypical hyperplasia than in hyperplasia (P = 0.01 and P = 0.04, respectively) and in invasive carcinoma than in in situ carcinoma (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). The two indices were similar in atypical hyperplasia and in in situ carcinoma. The P/A index increased significantly from normal epithelium to hyperplasia (P = 0.01) and from preinvasive lesions to invasive carcinoma (P = 0.04) whereas it was decreased (non-significantly) from hyperplasia to preinvasive lesions. A strong positive correlation between the AIs and the PIs was found (r = 0.83, P < 0.001). Conclusion These findings suggest accelerating cell turnover along the continuum of breast carcinogenesis. Atypical hyperplasias and in situ carcinomas might be kinetically similar lesions. In the transition from normal epithelium to hyperplasia and from preinvasive lesions to invasive carcinoma the net growth of epithelial cells results from a growth imbalance in favour of proliferation. In the transition from hyperplasia to preinvasive lesions there is an imbalance in favour of apoptosis.

In order to explore the possible role of E-cadherin in familial cancer, 19 familial breast cancer patients, whose tumours demonstrated loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at the E-cadherin locus, were screened for germline mutations. No pathogenic germline alterations were detected in these individuals. However, a somatic mutation was found (49-2A→C) in one of the tumours. This tumour showed a pattern of both ductal and lobular histology. Another 10 families with cases of breast, gastric and colon cancer were also screened for germline mutations, and no mutations were found. A missense mutation in exon 12 of E-cadherin (1774G→A; Ala592Thr) was previously found in one family with diffuse gastric cancer, and colon and breast cancer. An allelic association study was performed to determine whether the Ala592Thr alteration predisposes to breast cancer. In total, we studied 484 familial breast cancer patients, 614 sporadic breast cancer patients and 497 control individuals. The frequencies of this alteration were similar in these groups. However, a correlation between the Ala592Thr alteration and ductal comedo-type tumour was seen. These results, together with previously reported studies, indicate that germline mutations and, more commonly, somatic mutations in E-cadherin may have an influence on the behaviour of the tumours, rather than predispose to breast cancer.

To investigate gene expression patterns in rat mammary carcinomas induced by ionizing radiation. Gene expression patterns were analyzed in radiation-induced rat mammary carcinomas and normal mammary gland tissues.

To investigate DNA methylation patterns in rat mammary carcinomas induced by ionizing radiation. DNA methylation patterns were analyzed in radiation-induced rat mammary carcinomas and normal mammary gland tissues using CpG island microarray.

Background Drug resistance in breast cancer is a major obstacle to successful chemotherapy. In this study we used cDNA microarray technology to examine gene expression profiles obtained from fine needle aspiration (FNA) of primary breast tumors before and after systemic chemotherapy. Our goal was to determine the feasibility of obtaining representative expression array profiles from limited amounts of tissue and to identify those expression profiles that correlate with treatment response. Methods Repeat presurgical FNA samples were taken from six patients who were to undergo primary surgical treatment. Additionally, a group of 10 patients who were to receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy underwent two FNAs before chemotherapy (adriamycin 60 mg/m2 and cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m2) followed by another FNA on day 21 after the first cycle. Total RNA was amplified with T7 Eberwine's procedure and labeled cDNA was hybridized onto a 7600-feature glass cDNA microarray. Results We identified candidate gene expression profiles that might distinguish tumors with complete response to chemotherapy from tumors that do not respond, and found that the number of genes that change after one cycle of chemotherapy was 10 times greater in the responding group than in the non-responding group. Conclusion This study supports the suitability of FNA-derived cDNA microarray expression profiling of breast cancers as a comprehensive genomic approach for studying the mechanisms of drug resistance. Our findings also demonstrate the potential of monitoring post-chemotherapy changes in expression profiles as a measure of pharmacodynamic effect and suggests that these approaches might yield useful results when validated by larger studies.

Background The human FHIT gene is inactivated early in the development of many human cancers and loss of Fhit in mouse predisposes to cancer while reintroduction of FHIT suppresses tumor formation via induction of apoptosis. Fhit protein, a diadenosine polyphosphate hydrolase, does not require hydrolase activity to function in tumor suppression and may signal for apoptosis as an enzyme-substrate complex. Thus, high affinity nonhydrolyzable substrate analogs may either promote or antagonize Fhit function, depending on their features, in Fhit + cells. Previously synthesized analogs with phosphorothioadenosyl substitutions and "supercharged" branches do not bind better than natural substrates and thus have limited potential as cellular probes. Results Here we link adenosine 5'-O-phosphates and phosphorothioates to short-chain polyols to generate a series of substrate analogs. We obtain structure-activity data in the form of in vitro Fhit inhibition for four types of analog substitutions and describe two compounds, inhibitory constants for which are 65 and 75-fold lower than natural substrates. Conclusions The best Fhit inhibitors obtained to date separate two or more 5'-O-phosphoromonothioadenosyl moieties with as many bond lengths as in AppppA, maintain oxygen at the location of the α-β bridging oxygen, and replace carbon for the β phosphorus.

This is a genome-wide approach to identifying genes persistently induced in the mouse mammary gland by acute whole body low dose ionizing radiation (10cGy) 1 and 4 weeks after exposure. Gene expression that is modified under these parameters were compared between Tgfb1 wild type and heterozygote littermates in order to determine which genes induced or repressed by radiation were mediated via Tgfb1 status. Differential gene expression was analyzed in Tgfb1 heterozygote and wild type littermate 4th mammary glands after whole body exposure to an acute dose of 10cGy ionizing radiation. Estrus cycle was normalized in all mice two days prior to irradiation by injection with an estrogen and progesterone mixture. It is widely believed that the carcinogenic action of ionizing radiation is due to targeted DNA damage and resulting mutations but there is also substantial evidence that non-targeted radiation effects alter epithelial phenotype and the stromal microenvironment. Activation of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFbeta) is a non-targeted radiation effect that mediates cell fate decisions following DNA damage and regulates microenvironment composition; it could either suppress or promote cancer. Gene expression profiling shown herein demonstrates that low dose radiation (10 cGy) elicits persistent changes in Tgfb1 wild type and heterozygote murine mammary gland that are highly modulated by TGFbeta. We asked if such non-targeted radiation effects contribute to carcinogenesis by using a novel radiation chimera model. Unirradiated Trp53 null mammary epithelium was transplanted to the mammary stroma of mice previously exposed to a single low (10 -100 cGy) radiation dose. By 300 days 100% of transplants in irradiated hosts at either 10 or 100 cGy had developed Trp53 null breast carcinomas compared to 54% in unirradiated hosts. Tumor growth rate was also increased by high but not low dose host irradiation. In contrast irradiation of Tgfb1 heterozygote mice prior to transplantation failed to decrease tumor latency or increase growth rate at any dose. Host irradiation significantly reduced the latency of invasive ductal carcinoma compared to spindle cell carcinoma as well as those tumors negative for smooth muscle actin in wild type but not Tgfb1 heterozygote mice. However irradiation of either host genotype significantly increased the frequency of estrogen receptor negative tumors. These data demonstrate two concepts critical to understanding radiation risks. First non-targeted radiation effects can significantly promote the frequency and alter the features of epithelial cancer. Second radiation-induced TGFbeta activity is a key mechanism of tumor promotion. Keywords: Differential gene expression after low dose irradiation Two genotypes: TGBbeta1 heterozygote and wildtype mouse mammary glands. Two time points post-10cGy-irradiation per genotype (1 week 4 weeks); control time point was 1 week post-sham-irradiation. Two or three replicates per time point.