J Korean Med Sci.  2003 Apr;18(2):225-230. 10.3346/jkms.2003.18.2.225.

Bfl-1 Gene Expression in Breast Cancer: Its Relationship with other Prognostic Factors

• Yoon HS
• Hong SH
• Kang HJ
• Ko BK
• Ahn SH
• Huh JR

• KMID: 2157626
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2003.18.2.225

Abstract

The Bfl-1 gene, which was isolated from human fetal liver and only recently described, is a member of the Bcl-2 gene family. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was performed on RNA drawn from 30 breast cancer tissues to compare the expression of the Bfl-1 gene with other prognostic factors. The median relative ratio was 3.0 (range, 0.12-26.83) and the Bfl-1 gene expression rate was 36.7% (11/30). There was no statistically significant relationship between the clinicopathologic parameters of patients and the expression value of Bfl-1 gene. The level of Bfl-1 gene expression was higher in more advanced breast cancers than in early cancers. There was no significant relationship between the expression values and currently acknowledged prognostic factors, but a higher expression pattern was noticed in the groups of positive hormone receptors and negative p53 and negative c-erbB2, albeit statistically not significant. It seems that the increased expression of the Bfl-1 gene serves as a contributory factor in breast cancer, in the same way that another group of genes, the Bcl-2 family, contributes to apoptosis.

Keyword

Breast Neoplasms; Bfl-1; Prognosis; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

MeSH Terms

Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Breast Neoplasms/genetics
Breast Neoplasms/metabolism*
Breast Neoplasms/pathology*
Female
Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
Human
Middle Aged
Prognosis
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/genetics*
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/metabolism