Publications by authors named "Iman Aftab Khan"

Background: ErbB2/HER2 oncoprotein often drives breast cancers (BCs) which are treated with the anti-ErbB2 antibody trastuzumab. The efficacy of trastuzumab-based metastatic BC therapies is routinely assessed by imaging studies. Trastuzumab typically becomes ineffective in the case of this disease and is then replaced by other drugs.

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Background: The ability of solid tumor cells to resist anoikis, apoptosis triggered by cell detachment from the extracellular matrix (ECM), is thought to be critical for 3D tumor growth. ErbB2/Her2 oncoprotein is often overproduced by breast tumor cells and blocks their anoikis by partially understood mechanisms. In our effort to understand them better, we observed that detachment of nonmalignant human breast epithelial cells from the ECM upregulates the transcription factor Irf6.

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Activating mutations of RAS GTPase contribute to the progression of many cancers, including colorectal carcinoma. So far, attempts to develop treatments of mutant RAS-carrying cancers have been unsuccessful due to insufficient understanding of the salient mechanisms of RAS signaling. We found that RAS downregulates the protein ATG12 in colon cancer cells.

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Detachment of nonmalignant intestinal epithelial cells from the extracellular matrix (ECM) triggers their growth arrest and, ultimately, apoptosis. In contrast, colorectal cancer cells can grow without attachment to the ECM. This ability is critical for their malignant potential.

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