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Effects Of Breast Cancer Development

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Breast cancer development involves a specialized cell surface protein which is thought to regulate growth of tumor cells. Dr. Marcia L. Graves et at. investigated the effects of this protein in breast cancer cells and found that it promotes development and movement of breast cancer cells. DNA can be experimentally manipulated in cells in order to highlight the effects of certain protein functions. Overexpression of podocalyxin was induced in the DNA which means that the production of this cell membrane protein was increased. Having done this, Graves et at. were able to compare normal breast cancer cells (wild-type) to breast cancer cells that overexpressed podocalyxin. Movement of breast cancer cells results in the formation of small …show more content…

The line that is added to the graph represents an average number which shows that podocalyxin cells (MCF-7 Podo) have a higher number of micro-nodules surrounding the primary tumor compared to the control cells (MCF-7 control). On the other hand, graph F shows the ratio of the number of tumor micro-nodules to the tumor volume. Here we can see once again that MCF-7 podocalyxin cells have a higher ratio, supporting the finding that podocalyxin overexpression regulates tumor budding by increasing its frequency. Budding is what causes the progression and enlargement of the cancer and it is accompanied by the help of actin cytoskeleton-dependent processes (Graves et. al). Actin cytoskeletons are protein filaments that are responsible for movement and migration of cellular components, such as the membrane. Graves et at. reinforced that actin cytoskeleton dependent processes within the cell promote tumor cell movement and together with podocalyxin helps the separation of the micro-nodules from the primary tumor. In a 2-D layer culture, Graves et. al scratched the culture surface and stimulated the cells with EGF, which is a growth factor that stimulates cell growth, of both MCF-7 control cells and MCF-podo cells. It was found there was more actin containing lamellipodia was found in MCF-7 podo cells 16 hours after scratching. Lamellipodia occurs when the cell migrates and acts as an extension of the cell that helps it adhere to

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