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Physiological stress induces the metastasis marker AGR2 in breast cancer cells

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry volume 306, pages 255–260 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

As an approach to understanding the factors that activate expression of tumor progression genes, the role of physiological stress in the activation of a panel of tumor cell markers was investigated. These studies identify the developmental gene product, anterior gradient 2 (AGR2) as a cancer cell marker specifically up-regulated in response to depletion of serum and oxygen. AGR2 has been identified as a tumor marker in primary and secondary cancer lesions, and as a marker for detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs). Elevated levels of AGR2 are known to increase the metastatic potential of cancer cells, but conditions leading to increased expression of AGR2 are not well understood. The present results identify novel physiological parameters likely to contribute to AGR2 induction in situ.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Dr. Danny Dhanasekaran for the gift of the inhibitor compounds.

This work was supported by Dept. of Defense BCRP Grant # DAMD17–01-1-0406 to EM, and by Immunicon Corporation.

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Affiliations

  1. Temple University School of Medicine, Fels Institute for Cancer Research, Philadelphia, PA, 19140, USA

    Daniel R. Zweitzig & Elizabeth Moran

  2. Immunicon Corporation, Huntingdon Valley, PA, 19006, USA

    Denis A. Smirnov, Mark C. Connelly, Leon W. M. M. Terstappen & S. Mark O’Hara

Authors
  1. Daniel R. Zweitzig
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  2. Denis A. Smirnov
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  3. Mark C. Connelly
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  4. Leon W. M. M. Terstappen
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  5. S. Mark O’Hara
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  6. Elizabeth Moran
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elizabeth Moran.

Additional information

Daniel R. Zweitzig and Denis A. Smirnov contributed equally to this work.

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Zweitzig, D.R., Smirnov, D.A., Connelly, M.C. et al. Physiological stress induces the metastasis marker AGR2 in breast cancer cells. Mol Cell Biochem 306, 255–260 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-007-9562-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-007-9562-y

Keywords

  • AGR2
  • hAG2
  • ESR1
  • Osteopontin
  • TFF3
  • Circulating tumor cells
  • Breast cancer
  • Stress