title: Lack of genomic rearrangements involving the aromatase gene CYP19A1 in breast cancer.
abstract: Increased intratumoral expression of aromatase, the key enzyme for estrogen biosynthesis, is predicted to be of critical importance in the development of breast cancer. Recently, several germline rearrangements at 15q21 have been shown to cause overexpression of the aromatase gene CYP19A1 and resulting aromatase excess syndrome. To determine whether submicroscopic genomic rearrangements at 15q21 are involved in aromatase overexpression in breast cancer tissues, we investigated copy-number alterations in genomic DNA obtained from 44 tumor samples. Comparative genomic hybridization analysis identified no deletion or duplication at 15q21 in the 44 samples. These results, in conjunction with previous data, indicate that aromatase overexpression in breast cancer tissues is likely to result from a promoter switch of CYP19A1 and/or accumulation of CYP19A1-expressing cells, rather than from cryptic transactivation of CYP19A1 because of genomic rearrangements at 15q21.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Endocrinology, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, 2-10-1 Okura, Setagaya, Tokyo, 157-8535, Japan, fukami-m@ncchd.go.jp.
authors.forename: Maki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fukami
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakabayashi
authors.forename: Ryo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tsunashima
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ogata
authors.forename: Makio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shozu
authors.forename: Shinzaburo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Noguchi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001141:Aromatase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D002884:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 15; D055028:Comparative Genomic Hybridization; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic
chemical_list: D001141:Aromatase; C561410:CYP19A1 protein, human