Involvement of circadian clock in crowing of red jungle fowls (Gallus gallus).

The rhythmic locomotor behavior of flies and mice provides a phenotype for the identification of clock genes, and the underlying molecular mechanism is well studied. However, interestingly, when examining locomotor rhythm in the wild, several key laboratory-based assumptions on circadian behavior are not supported in natural conditions. The rooster crowing 'cock-a-doodle-doo' is a symbol of the break of dawn in many countries.

Sex steroid hormones in pairs of tumor and serum from breast cancer patients and pathobiological role of androstene-3β, 17β-diol.

Estrogens play an important role in the pathobiology of breast cancer. In postmenopausal women, peripheral synthesis of estrogens from adrenal/ovarian androgens, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) or androstenedione (Adione), by estrogen-metabolizing enzymes is important. Besides estrone (E1) and estradiol (E2), androgen metabolites, such as androstene-3β, 17β-diol (Aenediol) or 5α-androstane-3β, 17β-diol (Aanediol), are known to have estrogenic functions, although they have been studied much less in breast cancer.

A nonfucosylated anti-HER2 antibody augments antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity in breast cancer patients.

Purpose: Removal of fucose residues from the oligosaccharides of human antibody is a powerful approach to enhance antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), a potential important antitumor mechanism of therapeutic antibodies. To provide clinically relevant evidence of this mechanism, we investigated ADCC of a fucose-negative version of trastuzumab [anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) humanized antibody] using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from breast cancer patients as effector cells.

Experimental Design: Thirty volunteers, including 20 breast cancer patients and 10 normal healthy control donors, were recruited randomly, and aliquots of peripheral blood were collected.

Clinical significance of estrogen receptor beta in breast cancer.

Ever since the estrogen receptor (ER) beta was discovered in 1996, we have been trying to determine its value as a prognostic and/or predictive factor in breast cancer and its potential as a novel target for pharmacological intervention. Recent progress in cellular experiments has shown that ERbeta works as counter partner of ERalpha through inhibition of the transactivating function of ERalpha by heterodimerization, distinct regulation on several specific promoters by ERalpha or ERbeta, and ERbeta-specific regulated genes which are probably related to its anti-proliferative properties. Accumulated data from protein studies in breast cancer tissues indicate that positive expression of ERbeta appears to correlate with a favorable prognosis.

Significance of HDAC6 regulation via estrogen signaling for cell motility and prognosis in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer.

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) 6 is a subtype of the HDAC family; it deacetylates alpha-tubulin and increases cell motility. Here, we investigate the impact of an alteration of HDAC6 expression in estrogen receptor alpha (ER)-positive breast cancer MCF-7 cells, as we identified that HDAC6 is a novel estrogen-regulated gene. MCF-7 treated with estradiol showed increased expression of HDAC6 mRNA and protein and a four-fold increase in cell motility in a migration assay.

Novel sensitizing agents: potential contribution of COX-2 inhibitor for endocrine therapy of breast cancer.

Enhancement of the therapeutic effect of conventional drugs is currently an active treatment strategy for breast cancer, as shown in the clinical application of trastuzumab with chemotherapeutic agents, which prolonged survival even for metastatic disease. Cyclo-oxygenase 2(COX-2)inhibitors, which are chemoprevention agents for familial polyposis coli, are now contributing to this strategy in combination with chemotherapeutic and endocrine drugs. As an endocrine application, overexpression of COX-2 contributes to increased expression of aromatase in the breast tumor.