Differential expression of high-affinity melatonin receptors (MT1) in normal and malignant human breast tissue.

Melatonin is a pineal hormone that strongly inhibits the growth of breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. We report thefirst use of immunohistochemical analysis to determine the distribution of the high-affinity melatonin receptor subtype, MTI, in human breast tissue, the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus, and skin. The MT1 antibody, which is specific for the cytoplasmic portion of the receptor, produced cytoplasmic staining in normal-appearing breast epithelial cells and ductal carcinoma cells; stromal cells, myoepithelial cells, and adipocytes were nonreactive.

FR901228, an inhibitor of histone deacetylases, increases the cellular responsiveness to IL-6 type cytokines by enhancing the expression of receptor proteins.

The related members of the interleukin-6 (IL-6) family of cytokines, leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), oncostatin M (OSM) and IL-6 are inflammatory mediators that control differentiated cell functions as well as proliferation. The cellular responsiveness to these cytokines is largely determined by the expression of the appropriate receptor proteins. The receptor expression profile for each cell type is established during differentiation and is often altered during oncogenic transformation.

Molecular mechanism of transcriptional repression of gelsolin in human breast cancer cells.

Loss of gelsolin, a tumor suppressor, is one of the most frequently occurring molecular defects in breast cancers of diverse etiologies and across at least three animal species: human, mouse, and rat. Our previous analysis of breast cancer cells demonstrated that the deficiency is not due to mutation of the gelsolin gene, but instead to epigenetic factors, including decreased transcription of the gene. The study described herein provides the first functional characterization of the human gelsolin promoter and reveals a mechanistic basis for the reduced gelsolin transcription.