Mammaglobin and lipophilin B expression in breast tumors and their lack of effect on breast cancer cell proliferation.
BACKGROUND
Mammaglobin (SCGB2A2) and lipophilin B (SCGB1D2) are members of the secretoglobin polypeptide family. Mammaglobin has been shown to be overexpressed in breast tumor tissue, indicating that mammaglobin might confer a growth advantage to mammaglobin-expressing tumor cells.


METHODS
The mammaglobin and lipophilin B mRNA expression levels were investigated in seven breast tumors and matched nonneoplastic tissues from the same patients using quantitative real-time RT-PCR. The effect of mammaglobin and lipophilin B expression on breast cancer cell proliferation rates was investigated by analyzing retrovirally transduced Hs578T cell clones. Cell proliferation rates were determined during the exponential growth phase by analyzing the change in lactate dehydrogenase activity over time.


RESULTS
All analyzed breast cancer tumors had lower expression levels of mammaglobin and lipophilin B than the respective mean level of the nonneoplastic breast tissues; no prominent overexpression was evident. There was high variability in the expression of mammaglobin and lipophilin B among the non-neoplastic samples, showing that caution should be taken when evaluating their over- and underexpression in tumors. The expression levels of mammaglobin and lipophilin B correlated with each other in the analyzed samples (p = 0.001). Ectopic overexpression of mammaglobin and lipophilin B did not affect the cell proliferation rate of Hs578T breast carcinoma cells in vitro.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that the overexpression of mammaglobin observed in certain breast tumors is an epiphenomenon not causally involved in breast carcinogenesis.
Sjödin
Anna
A
Department of Radiation Sciences, Oncology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden. anna.sjodin@onkologi.umu.se
Ljuslinder
Ingrid
I
Henriksson
Roger
R
Hedman
Håkan
H
D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D048708:Cell Growth Processes / Q000502:physiology; D019070:Cell Lineage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D060785:Mammaglobin A; D008875:Middle Aged; D009185:Myelin Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D011510:Proteolipids / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D060765:Secretoglobins; D014161:Transduction, Genetic; D014598:Uteroglobin / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics
D060785:Mammaglobin A; D009185:Myelin Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D011510:Proteolipids; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C556464:SCGB1D2 protein, human; C556448:SCGB2A2 protein, human; D060765:Secretoglobins; D014598:Uteroglobin