Breast Cancer

By Natalia Gurule, PhD

Jamshed Arslan, Pharm D, PhD

By Jamshed Arslan, Pharm D, PhD

By Yoskaly Lazo-Fernandez, PhD

Discovery of the Key to Pluripotency

Breast cancer is caused by malignant cells developing in breast tissue. It is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women, but advancements in treatment options have seen the death rate decline since the 1990s. Common warning signs of breast cancer include lumps, changes in breast size or shape, discoloration, dimpling of the skin, new concentrated pain in the breast, and rash on the nipple.  Yearly mammograms and self-exams are an important part of early detection of breast cancer.

Plumbagin (5-hydroxy-2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone) is a toxin, named after the plant genus Plumbago from which it was first isolated in 1968 (1). Since its discovery there have been a wide variety of publications describing its effects on fertility, hyperlipedaemia (high cholesterol) and its use as an anti-bacterial. More recently, there have been multiple efforts to synthesise derivatives and analogues of plumbagin in order to increase its potential as an anti-cancer agent.

Co-factor of BRCA1, also known as COBRA1, was first identified as a protein that binds to the tumour suppressor protein encoded by the breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1 (1). It was subsequently found to be identical to subunit B of the Negative Elongation Factor (NELF) complex (2). NELF is composed of four subunits (A, B, C or D, and E) and plays a pivotal role in the transcriptional pausing of RNA polymerase II.

RAD51 is a recombinase protein encoded by RAD51 gene in humans. Human RAD51 family members are highly similar to bacterial RecA and yeast Rad51, both biochemically and structurally. It is a 339-amino acid protein that plays an important role in homologous recombination (HR) of DNA during double-strand break (DSB) repair.

CDR2 is a tumor antigen expressed in a high percentage of breast and ovarian tumors and is the target of a naturally occurring tumor immune response in patients with paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration.