Important Gene in Development of Breast Cancer Identified

Scientists have identified a gene, which helps to regulate how different genes operate in different cell types. This finding may now allow scientists to find new ways to target and treat aggressive types of breast cancer. Scientists have pinpointed a gene, TAZ, which controls whether breast cells behave more like basal cells or more like luminal cells, information that might be important in understanding and possibly treating difficult-to-treat forms of breast cancer. Researchers have known for a long time that breast cells can lose their normal identity when they become cancerous, but are now realizing that normal cells can change their characteristics as well in response to transcription factors like TAZ. This might be a factor in the development of breast cancer. By identifying the genes responsible for this change in cells from breast tissue, researchers now hope to identify a way to stop or reverse it.