Repression of RTK Recycling Pathway By SLUG in Human Breast Tumor Cells

摘要

We hypothesize that the transcriptional repressor protein SLUG down regulates some key components of the dynein/dynactin pathway of RTK internalization in human breast tumor cells resulting in increase in the surface levels of these receptors, thus adding to the mechanisms of malignant transformation of these cells. The specific aims of the research are (a) To evaluate the nuclear levels of SLUG in relation to the surface levels of RTKs in human breast cancer cells of different grade and pathology by tissue microarray analysis; (b) To evaluate the levels of mRNAs of the member proteins of the dynein and dynactin complexes in breast cancer cells with different levels of SLUG protein; and, (c) To evaluate whether knock down of individual SLUG-target proteins in the dynein/dynactin pathway increases the levels of RTKs on the cell surface in the SLUG-positive human breast cancer cells and thus increases the rate of proliferations of these cells.