Proje Konusu

In recent days, the development of effective diagnostic methods gains importance in aggressive breast cancer patients to perform appropriate treatment strategies. Cholesterol metabolism takes part among the risk factors that increase the metastatic properties and aggressiveness of breast cancer. In order to outcome of these issues, designed biomarkers are used to enlighten the role of breast cancer risk factors as a potential target in the diagnosis of breast cancer.This project aims to investigate the network between cholesterol metabolism and cancer through targeting cholesterol metabolism regulator miR-33 in estrogen-sensitive MCF-7 breast adenocarcinoma cells and estrogen-insensitive MCF-7 breast cancer cells which are generated model cells that are capable of growth independent of estrogen. Within this scope, the exact role of miR-33 on cell survival and cell death mechanism in breast cancer development based on the estrogen levels will be examined. This project has tremendous therapeutic potential for treatment of breast cancer by elucidating the role of miR-33 in the control of cell survival or cell death signaling pathways in breast cancer development related with estrogen levels. In addition, miR-33 might be a potential diagnostic and therapeutic marker in further studies to contribute the link between cholesterol metabolism and enhanced estrogen positive breast cancer development in pre- or post- menopausal women considering the mechanistic effect on breast cancer cell survival and cell death decision provided from this project.