[Frontiers in Bioscience 16, 568-577, January 1, 2011]

Redox sensitive Pyk2 as a target for therapeutics in breast cancer

Quentin Felty

Florida International University,Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, 11200 SW 8th Street, HLS 593, Miami, FL 33199

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Abstract
2. Introduction
3. Breast tumor angiogenesis and estrogen
3.1. Estrogen and angiogenesis
3.2. Environmental estrogens and angiogenesis
3.3. Estrogen and oxidative stress
3.4. Estrogen and paracrine effects in angiogenesis
3.5. Environmental compounds, redox signaling, and breast cancer
3.6. Pyk2 as a biomarker for breast cancer
3.7. Pyk2 redox signaling in aggressive breast cancer
3.8. Novel Pyk2 protein-protein interactions and breast tumor angiogenesis
3.9. Estrogen redox signaling and cell cycle progression
4. Summary and perspective
5. Acknowledgement
6. References

1. ABSTRACT

Breast cancer progression is dependent on the formation of new blood vessels that not only help the tumor by supplying additional nutrients, but also allow cancer cells to spread from the breast to distant sites in the body. Several studies suggest a positive correlation between new vessel formation and estrogens. Estrogenic environmental chemicals such as PCBs have been shown to increase the expression of factors known to promote vessel formation in breast tumors. These studies highlight a growing concern that women exposed to estrogenic environmental compounds may be more susceptible to either aggressive metastatic tumors or a high recurrence of breast cancer. Our concept offers a fundamental new understanding of the way the environment contributes to breast cancer progression. This review will be focused on a highly novel Pyk2 signaling complex as a target for therapy of estrogen dependent breast tumor angiogenesis. A better understanding of the role of Pyk2 signaling in estrogen dependent tumor vascularization may lead to the development of a new therapy against aggressive breast cancer using small molecule inhibitors of Pyk2.