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Endocrine Abstracts (2003) 5 P143

BES2003 Poster Presentations Endocrine Tumours and Neoplasia (47 abstracts)

Transcriptional regulation by PEA3 in human breast cancer

E Myers 1,2 , Y Buggy 1,2 , ADK Hill 1,2 , MJ Duffy 1,2 , N O'Higgins 1,2 & LS Young 1,2


1Department of Surgery, St Vincents University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland; 2Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Ireland.


Her-2/neu over-expression is associated with elevated tumorigenicity and enhanced metastatic potential. Recently a DNA motif containing the consensus binding site of PEA3, a member of the ets transcription factor family has been identified on the Her-2/neu promoter. Activation of the PEA3 response element has been proposed to be involved in the transcriptional squelching of Her-2/neu.
Methods: Using RT-PCR we have determined PEA3 mRNA expression in human breast tissue and localised PEA3 protein expression using immunohistochemistry.
Results: PEA3 mRNA was not detected in normal breast tissue (n=16). The transcription factor was however detected in 45% of primary carcinomas (n=155) and 50% of nodal metastatic tissue (n=18). 61% of PEA3 mRNA positive breast carcinomas were also found to have a positive Her-2/neu status. We localised the protein expression of PEA3 to the nuclei of epithelial cells within breast cancer tissue. PEA3 was immunohisochemically detected in 66% of breast tumour patients (n=21), 87% of which were Her-2/neu positive.
Conclusion: Identification of HER-2/neu - PEA3 positive patients may have important implications in the treatment of human breast cancer and could prove an appropriate therapeutic target.

Volume 5

22nd Joint Meeting of the British Endocrine Societies

British Endocrine Societies 

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