A gene that appears to regulate the normal embryonic development is found at high levels in virtually all forms of breast carcinoma (cancer), as per a new study led by Laszlo Radvanyi, Ph.D., associate professor of breast and melanoma medical oncology at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Radvanyi remarked that there is a tremendous requirement for new molecular targets for treating breast cancer and the recently found target was hopefully one of them.

From Sciencedaily.com:

The TRPS-1 gene turned out to be associated with a rare, inherited genetic disease in which loss of the gene function results in muscle and bone deformities. The gene is located on human chromosome 8 in a region previously known to be associated with breast cancer and other oncogenes. The scientists don’t yet know what the TRPS-1 protein is doing during the development of breast cancer, but they have started gathering clues to its role. Scientists at other institutions have shown TRPS-1 is a DNA-binding protein that regulates how other proteins get produced. It also appears to be involved in recognition of steroids such as estrogen. Radvanyi speculates that the protein may help regulate cell growth and perhaps estrogen recognition.

“Based on our findings, we believe that TRPS-1 is involved in the earliest stages of breast cancer,” he says.

The success of the breast cancer drug Herceptin, an antibody that specifically attacks breast cancer cells in which the Her2/neu gene is active, has made immunotherapy an attractive option for treating breast cancer. However, only about one-third of breast cancer patients are candidates for Herceptin treatment. Radvanyi’s technique does not use antibodies, but instead attempts to get powerful immune system cells called T-cells to attack the cancer cells.

The study findings were published in an issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and are available online.