title: TGF-beta 1 mRNA expression in clinical breast cancer and its relationship to ER mRNA expression.
abstract: Eighty nine primary breast cancers were investigated for the expression of TGF-beta 1 and ER mRNA using PCR of reverse transcribed RNA. PCR products were validated using Southern blots and hybridization with radiolabelled cDNA probes. TGF beta 1 mRNA was found to be expressed in 56/89 (63%) of the breast cancers while ER mRNA was expressed in 23/89 (26%) of the tumours. Using chi-square analysis TGF-beta mRNA expression was found to correlate significantly with ER mRNA expression (p < 0.001), in that virtually all tumours that expressed ER mRNA co-expressed TGF beta 1. In tumours that were ER mRNA negative, TGF beta 1 expression was more variable. These results suggest that during tumour progression, ER expression is lost more frequently than is growth factor expression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa.
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Amoils
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Bezwoda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta