Taipei Medical University

Shih-Hsin Tu

Chia-Hwa Lee

Yuan-Soon Ho

Po-Li Wei

Ching-Shyang Chen

Yu-Jia Chang

Li-Ching Chen

Ching-Shui Huang

Chih-Hsiung Wu

Ying-Jan Wang

Hui-Wen Chang

Ya-Chieh Chang

Chien-Hsi Chang

Ka-Wai Tam

Tzu-Chun Cheng

Jan-Show Chu

The invention relates to methods of identifying a candidate compound which may inhibit estrogen receptor-dependent transcription or &#x3b1;9-nAChR overexpression and proliferation of nicotine-derived-compound-induced breast cancer cells by using an activating protein 1 (AP1) polypeptide. The invention found that &#x3b1;9-nAChR has an activating protein 1 (AP1)-binding site, that the &#x3b1;9-nAChR promoter is located at the AP1-binding site, and that ERs specifically bind to the &#x3b1;9-nAChR promoter at the AP1-binding site, indicating that ER-induced &#x3b1;9-nAChR up-regulation plays a central role in the response to endogenous (E2) or exogenous (nicotine) stimulation.

Method of identifying a candidate compound which may inhibit &#x3b1;9-nAchR overexpression or estrogen receptor-dependent transcription in nicotine-derived-compound-induced breast cancer cells

The invention found that overexpression and activation of &#x3b1;9-nAChR are associated with tumorigenesis of breast cancer and create a number of small interfering RNAs to inhibit the expression of &#x3b1;9-nAChR so as to inhibit breast cancer. Therefore, the invention provides small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) for inhibiting expression of &#x3b1;9-nAChR so as to inhibit breast cancer, methods to prevent/inhibit/treat malignant progression of nicotine-derived-compound-induced breast cancer and method of determining malignant level of such breast cancer.

Small interfering RNAs and methods for prevention, inhibition and/or treatment of malignant progression of breast cancer

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Taipei, Taiwan

Shih-Hsin Tu