title: Peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptor (PBR) gene amplification in MDA-MB-231 aggressive breast cancer cells.
abstract: Recent studies using human breast cancer cell lines, animal models, and human tissue biopsies have suggested a close correlation between the expression of the peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptor (PBR) and the progression of breast cancer. This study investigates the genetic status of the PBR gene in two human breast cancer cell lines: MDA-MB-231 cells, which are an aggressive breast cancer cell line that contains high levels of PBR, and MCF-7 cells, which are a nonaggressive cell line that contains low levels of PBR. Both DNA (Southern) blot and fluorescence in situ hybridization analyses indicate that the PBR gene is amplified in MDA-MB-231 relative to MCF-7 cells. These data suggest that PBR gene amplification may be an important indicator of breast cancer progression.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hormone Research, Department of Cell Biology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown, Washington DC 20007, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hardwick
authors.forename: Luciane R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Cavalli
authors.forename: Keith D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Barlow
authors.forename: Bassem R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Haddad
authors.forename: Vassilios
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Papadopoulos
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D002455:Cell Division; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005784:Gene Amplification / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A / Q000235:genetics*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A