title: Expression of metallothionein 3 in ductal breast cancer.
abstract: Metallothionein 3 (MT-3) has the ability to regulate the growth of nerve cells, but the significance of MT-3 expression outside the central nervous system and its participation in carcinogenesis have not yet been clarified. The aim of our study was to investigate the expression of MT-3 in ductal breast cancer and to determine its relationship with well-defined clinicopathological factors in this type of tumor. The study was conducted on 134 cases of invasive ductal breast carcinoma (IDC), 42 samples of non-malignant breast tissue (NMBT), and 26 cases of mastopathy. Moreover, selected breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7, SKBR-3, MDA-MB-231, BO2) and normal human breast epithelial cells (hTERT-HME1) were used. The expression of MT-3 was examined on the protein level using immunohistochemistry and on the mRNA level using real-time PCR. It was shown that the MT-3 protein in cells of IDC and mastopathy appeared in the cytoplasm as well as in the cell nuclei. Both the cytoplasmic and nuclear expression of MT-3 was significantly lower in IDC than in the mastopathies (p<0.0001 and p<0.001). However, no significant correlation was demonstrated between the level of MT-3 protein and the studied clinicopathological factors. The mRNA expression of MT-3 in IDC was also lower than in non‑malignant breast tissue (p<0.0001). Furthermore, in the cases of IDC with lymph node metastasis, the level of MT-3 mRNA was significantly lower than in the cases without metastasis (p=0.0199). The expression of MT-3 mRNA in breast cancer cell lines was significantly lower than in the normal human breast epithelial cell line (p<0.001). These results suggest that MT-3 may play a role in the malignant transformation of breast epithelial cells and in tumor progression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gomulkiewicz
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Karolina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jablonska
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Bartosz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pula
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Jedrzej
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grzegrzolka
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Sylwia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Borska
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Marzenna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Podhorska-Okolow
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathomorphology, Lower Silesian Oncology Centre, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wojnar
authors.affiliation: Department of Tumor Pathology, Centre of Oncology, Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Institute, Cracow Branch, Cracow, Poland.
authors.forename: Janusz
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rys
authors.affiliation: Department of Tumor Pathology, Centre of Oncology, Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Institute, Cracow Branch, Cracow, Poland.
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ambicka
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Maciej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ugorski
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Maciej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zabel
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dziegiel
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000473:pathology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005348:Fibrocystic Breast Disease / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D061986:MCF-7 Cells; D000090023:Metallothionein 3; D008875:Middle Aged; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D000090023:Metallothionein 3; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins