TITLE:
Evidence for Tumour Suppressor Function of DOK7 in Human Breast Cancer
AUTHORS:
James Bracken, Tamara Ghanem, Abdul Kasem, Wen G. Jiang, Kefah Mokbel
KEYWORDS:
Breast Cancer; DOK-7; CpG Hypermethylation; Tumour Suppressor; Prognostic Marker
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Cancer Therapy,
Vol.5 No.1,
January
14,
2014
ABSTRACT:
Introduction: Downstream of tyrosine kinase 7 (DOK-7) is a member of the DOK family, which has been associated with the development and
progression of various humancancers. Previously, identification of CpG hypermethylation in DOK-7 promoter was identified
in breast cancer. Method: DOK-7
mRNA extraction and reverse transcription were performed on fresh frozen breast
cancer tissue samples and normal background breast tissue. Transcript levels of
expression were analyzed against TNM stage, tumour grade and clinical outcome
over a 10-year follow-up period. Results:
Levels of DOK-7 expression decreased significantly with increasing TNM stage.
Higher DOK-7 expression was correlated
with longer disease free and overall survival times. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study to
investigate DOK-7 expression in human breast cancer. We identify a potential DOK-7
tumour suppressor role. DOK-7 as a
prognostic biomarker in human breast cancer should be included in future
validation studies.