Effects of bromodomain and extra-terminal inhibitor JQ1 and interleukin-6 on breast cancer cells.

Background: Bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET) proteins are recognized acetylated lysine of histone 4 and act as scaffolds to recruit many other proteins to promoters and enhancers of active genes, especially at the super-enhancers of key genes, driving the transcription process and have been identified as potential therapeutic targets in breast cancer. However, the efficacy of BET inhibitors such as JQ1 in breast cancer therapy is impeded by interleukin-6 (IL-6) through an as-yet-defined mechanism.

Methods And Results: We investigated the interplay between IL-6 and JQ1 in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells.