Mechanism linking progesterone and hereditary breast cancer discovered
Wednesday, May 4, 2011 - 10:30
in Health & Medicine
Researchers in Spain have discovered a new mechanism by which mutations in gene BRCA1 can induce breast cancer. The work explains the greater growth in cancerous cells with BRCA1 defects on two levels: by an increase in the quantity of progesterone receptor that is found in the cells and by its increased effect on the expression of the genes which activate cell proliferation.