Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, with more than 50 000 new cases every year in France and about 1 in 8 women affected.
Estrogen receptors (ER) are closely associated with hormone-dependent breast cancer and it is well established that prolonged exposure to endogenous or exogenous estrogens (E2) is one of the first etiological factors in these cancers. At least 70% of breast cancers are ER positive and are under the influence of the mitogenic effects of E2. Hormone therapy is the most effective treatment used to treat ER-positive breast cancers. Unfortunately, a significant proportion of breast cancers are resistant to hormone therapy or develop an anti-estrogen (tamoxifen) resistance. Our research aims at understanding the origin of this hormonal effects and the underlying transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms.
Research
Axis 1, Team 6 | Modifications during cancer progression
Axis 1 picture legend - Two phenotypes coexist in cancerous cell populations: a proliferative state, illustrated by the red nuclear staining of PCNA ("Proliferation antigen") and a mesenchymal states, illustrated by the staining in green of the metastasis marker FHL2. Note that the staining are mutually exclusive, which means that a cell can not at the same time divide and migrate.
