Gene Silencing and Cellular Apoptosis of Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2) Positive Breast Cancer Epithelial Carcinoma Cells with Small Interfering Ribonucleic Acid (siRNA)
Abstract
Breast cancer is estimated to affect one in nine U.S. women in their lifetime. In studies of breast tumor cells, certain proteins, such as Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2), have been shown to be over-produced as compared to normal breast tissue, particularly in more advanced stage tumors. HER2 is a receptor tyrosine kinase believed to be responsible in part for the rapid cell division seen in some breast tumors. Small interfering ribonucleic acids (siRNA) are synthetic messenger RNA (mRNA) transcripts that can interact with gene-specific mRNA, preventing translation of proteins siRNA’s are designed to target specific mRNA sequences, leading to “knockdown” of that specific protein. Knockdown of HER2 translation would mean a marked decrease in HER2 aggregation on the cell surface and potentially decreasing the proliferation of the malignant tumor cells. It is not clear whether this slowed proliferation is due to increased apoptosis or slowing of cell division. The purpose of this study is to determine the outcome of HER2-specific siRNA knockdown via various assays of cell number, apoptosis and cellular signaling.
Gene Silencing and Cellular Apoptosis of Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2) Positive Breast Cancer Epithelial Carcinoma Cells with Small Interfering Ribonucleic Acid (siRNA)
Breast cancer is estimated to affect one in nine U.S. women in their lifetime. In studies of breast tumor cells, certain proteins, such as Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2), have been shown to be over-produced as compared to normal breast tissue, particularly in more advanced stage tumors. HER2 is a receptor tyrosine kinase believed to be responsible in part for the rapid cell division seen in some breast tumors. Small interfering ribonucleic acids (siRNA) are synthetic messenger RNA (mRNA) transcripts that can interact with gene-specific mRNA, preventing translation of proteins siRNA’s are designed to target specific mRNA sequences, leading to “knockdown” of that specific protein. Knockdown of HER2 translation would mean a marked decrease in HER2 aggregation on the cell surface and potentially decreasing the proliferation of the malignant tumor cells. It is not clear whether this slowed proliferation is due to increased apoptosis or slowing of cell division. The purpose of this study is to determine the outcome of HER2-specific siRNA knockdown via various assays of cell number, apoptosis and cellular signaling.