The Role of GM2 Activator Protein in Breast Cancer Metastasis and the EGFR Signaling Pathway

Breast cancer afflicts many individuals worldwide, however, survival rates diminish greatly when this disease becomes metastatic. Despite medical advances of therapies for breast cancer, metastatic breast cancer has high mortality and morbidity rates. Recently, gangliosides, a type of lipid, have been found to be correlated to the progression of metastatic disease. The role of GM2 Activator Protein (GM2A), an important transport molecule in ganglioside breakdown, however, has not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, we investigated the role of GM2A protein in metastatic characteristics such as cell proliferation, cell migration, and cell invasion. By knockdown of GM2A protein in a breast cancer cell line, we observed a decrease in cell invasion, while cell proliferation and cell migration were mostly unaffected. In addition, we demonstrated using a Western Blot that these changes may be correlated to decreases in a commonly altered pathway called Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) protein signalling pathway. Together, these results demonstrate that with further research, GM2A may serve as a therapeutic target to halt breast cancer metastasis.

Department dc:contributor.department

Neuroscience Studies

Author dc:creator

• Kafaei Shahbaz, Naz

Advisor dc:contributor.supervisor

• Walia, Jagdeep

• GM2A
• GM2 activator
• Breast cancer
• breast cancer metastasis
• EGFR
• GM2A breast cancer EGFR
• gm2 activator protein
• siRNA
• cancer
• breast

Statement dc:rights

• Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1974/30395

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:queensu.scholaris.ca:1974/30395