IARC research shows epigenetic mechanisms of breast cancer stem-cells, potentially paving the way for targeted therapy

Methylome analysis reveals Jak-STAT pathway deregulation in putative breast cancer stem cells
Epigenetics. Volume 6, Issue 4 -   April 2011
H Hernández-Vargas, M Ouzounova, F Le Calvez-Kelm, M-P Lambert, S McKay-Chopin, S V. Tavtigian, A Puisieux, C Matar and Z Herceg

Increasing evidence suggests that breast tumours include a subpopulation of cancer cells with stem cell characteristics. In this study, we used genome-wide DNA methylation profiling and quantitative gene expression to characterize the epigenetic mechanisms that regulate the developmental pathways in these putative breast cancer stem cells.
 
Our results revealed that these cells show activation of a specific evolutionary-conserved signalling pathway (the Jak-STAT pathway), indicating that Jak-STAT activation may represent a characteristic of breast cancer stem cells. These findings support the idea that epigenetic mechanisms control the expression of cancer stem-like pathways, and therefore establish and maintain the defining properties of cancer stem cells. Thus our results have potential implications in developing targeted therapy for breast cancer.Read Article