A signaling molecule commonly found in cancerous tissue primes some breast tumor cells to metastasize to lung but not bone tissue, according to a linkurl:study;http://www.cell.com/content/article/abstract?uid=PIIS0092867408002110 to be published in __Cell__ tomorrow (Apr. 4). "This work basically provides a deeper understanding of how linkurl:breast cancer;http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/13530/ spreads throughout the body," said linkurl:David Padua,;http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/51446.cfm the lead author of the study and a Weill Cornell Medical College graduate student who works in the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center lab of the team's leader, oncologist linkurl:Joan Massague.;http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/10614.cfm "This is one of the first examples of this priming phenomenon," Padua said. The researchers, including scientists in New York City and Spain, showed that a cytokine, transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ), can instruct some linkurl:tumor cells;http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/23272/ to invade lungs by sparking signaling pathways and inducing gene expression that can make metastasis more efficient in lung tissue. "It gives us a little bit more focused view of what TGFβ may...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!