Protein expression and gene amplification of primary cyclins (A, B₁, D₁, D₃and E) and secondary cyclins (C and H) in relation to prognosis in breast cancer patients

Excerpt

Deregulation of cell cycle control is a hallmark of cancer. The primary cyclins (A, B₁, D₁, D₃ and E) are crucial for cell cycle progression [1]. Secondary cyclins (C and H) have putative indirect effects on cell cycle propulsion and have not been previously evaluated in breast cancer. We have examined protein expression and gene amplification of cyclins in breast carcinomas and correlated the findings with clinical follow-up data. We have previously demonstrated that overexpression of cyclin A is associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer patients [2]. In this study we wanted to evaluate the impact of other cyclins, both at the gene level and at the protein level. We wanted to evaluate whether the overexpression of cyclins is a result of gene amplification, as well as to evaluate the prognostic value of gene amplification of different cyclins for breast cancer patients. The impact of TP53 gene mutations on gene amplification of cyclins was also evaluated. …