The goal of this research was to discover a link between the protein Toll-Like Receptor 4 (TLR4) and mutations in the gene TP53 which are known to cause tumor growth. This discovery could lead to innovative treatment and prevention of breast cancer. In the introduction, it is said that TLR4 inhibitors may lead to the growth of 'wild type' tumors but at the same time suppress the amount of mutant TP53 tumors. This matches the author's hypothesis, which is based on the fact that over 80 percent of TP53 wild-type tumors had lower gene expression of TLR4. To test their ideas, researchers preformed Enzyme-linked Immuno Sorbant Assay (ELISA method) on samples that had been washed in phosphate buffered saline. The results showed that TP53 wild-type tumors were more likely to lose expression on TLR4 as opposed to mutated TP53 cells. It was also noted that mutant TP53 tumors had also increased in response to TLR4. These results confirmed the hypothesis of the researchers. This knowledge opens doors into future study in TLR4 based therapy for patients with mutated TP53 genes. Brown, Powell, Haricharan, Svasti. "TLR4 Has a TP53- Dependent Dual Role in Regulating Breast Cancer Cell Growth" Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. (2015). Web. |
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