title: Prolactin receptor in breast cancer: marker for metastatic risk.
abstract: Prolactin and prolactin receptor signaling and function are complex in nature and intricate in function. Basic, pre-clinical and translational research has opened up our eyes to the understanding that prolactin and prolactin receptor signaling function differently within different cellular contexts and microenvironmental conditions. Its multiple roles in normal physiology are subverted in cancer initiation and progression, and gradually we are teasing out the intricacies of function and therapeutic value. Recently, we observed that prolactin has a role in accelerating the time to bone metastasis in breast cancer patients and identified the mechanism by which prolactin stimulated breast cancer cell-mediated lytic osteoclast formation. The possibility that the prolactin receptor is a marker for metastasis, and specifically bone metastasis, is one that may have to be put into the context of the different variants of prolactin, different prolactin receptor isoforms and intricate signaling pathways that are regulated by the microenvironment. The more complete the picture, the better one can test biomarker identity and design clinical trials to test therapeutic intervention. This review will cover the recent advances and highlight the complexity of prolactin receptor biology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological SciencesCharbonneau Cancer Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada Shemanko@ucalgary.ca.
authors.forename: Carrie S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Shemanko
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000818:Animals; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D053614:Janus Kinase 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D008024:Ligands; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000378:metabolism; D011379:Prognosis; D011388:Prolactin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D011981:Receptors, Prolactin / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012306:Risk; D050799:STAT5 Transcription Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D059016:Tumor Microenvironment
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D008024:Ligands; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D011981:Receptors, Prolactin; D050799:STAT5 Transcription Factor; D011388:Prolactin; D053614:Janus Kinase 2
keywords: bone metastasis; breast cancer; metastasis; prolactin; prolactin receptor