Researchers discover that same gene has opposite effects in prostate, breast cancers
Date: 18.10.2011
Researchers at Cleveland Clinic have discovered that a gene - known as an androgen receptor (AR) - is found in both prostate and breast cancers yet has opposite effects on these diseases.
In prostate cancer, the AR gene promotes cancer growth when the gene is "turned on." In breast cancer, the AR gene promotes cancer growth when the gene is "turned off," as is often the case after menopause, when AR production ceases in women.
Researchers focused on whether the androgen receptor (AR) molecule offers evidence of the tumor suppressor protein PTEN. The research discovered that AR inhibits PTEN expression in prostate cancer cells, but stimulates it in breast cancer cells.
