title: HER-2 expression correlates with survivin in primary invasive ductal breast cancers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The expression of HER-2 and Survivin is correlated with poor prognosis of breast cancer, but a possible interaction of these two proteins remains to be established.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study is to determine the possible relationship between HER-2 and Survivin in primary invasive ductal breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-six patients diagnosed with primary invasive ductal breast cancer were enrolled in the study. Cancerous breast tissue biopsies were analyzed for the expression levels of HER-2, survivin, ERK1/2, p-ERK1/2, AKT, and p-AKT proteins by Western blot. The levels of HER-2 and survivin mRNA were also assessed by real-time quantitative reverse transcription--polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Finally, the correlation of disease state and protein or mRNA expression was analyzed using the bivariate Pearson's correlation method (two-tailed).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Western blot analysis showed a significant correlation in protein levels among HER-2, p-AKT, and survivin in the primary invasive ductal breast cancer tissues (all p<0.01). However, the levels of HER-2 protein and Survivin mRNA were not correlated (p=0.154).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HER-2 expression significantly correlates with Survivin at the protein level in primary invasive ductal breast cancer tissues, and the correlated changes might act via p-AKT, rather than at the level of transcriptional regulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China. zhanghongjz@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D000077022:Survivin
chemical_list: D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D000077022:Survivin; C107489:BIRC5 protein, human; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human