Flotillin-2: A new potential predictor for prognosis of breast cancer
Overexpression of ErbB2 occurs in up to 30% of human breast cancers. ErbB2 is not down-regulated by ligand-induced mechanisms as many other receptors. In a new study now published in Oncogene (journal impact factor 6.4), Sascha Pust (photo) from Kirsten Sandvig's group at the Institute for Cancer Research and coworkers show that flotillins stabilize ErbB2 at the plasma membrane. Moreover, microarray analysis of biopsies of 194 breast cancer patients indicated that flotillin-2 is a good prognostic marker for breast cancer. Depletion of flotillins leads to internalization and degradation of ErbB2, thereby inhibiting the ErbB2-triggered signaling.
This study was a collaboration between several groups, including three groups (Sandvig, Danielsen, Liestøl) from the Center for Cancer Biomedicine (CCB).
Links:
Flotillins as regulators of ErbB2 levels in breast cancer.
Pust S, Klokk TI, Musa N, Jenstad M, Risberg B, Erikstein B, Tcatchoff L, Liestøl K, Danielsen HE, van Deurs B, Sandvig K.
Oncogene. 2012 Aug 6.
Sandvig group - Intracellular transport
Danielsen group - Genomic Instability
Liestøl group - Data analysis, Statistical methods development