TY - JOUR
AR - COR-2018-1-102
TI - STAT3 Knockdown Induces Tumor Formation by MDA-MB-231 Cells
AU - Cindy , Pru
AU - Haluk , Resat
AU - James K. , Pru
AU - Kasturi, Banerjee
JO - Clinical Oncology and Research
PY - 2018
DA - Mon 26, Mar 2018
SN - 2613-4942
DO - http://dx.doi.org/10.31487/j.COR.2018.10.002 
UR - https://www.sciencerepository.org/STAT3-knockdown-induces-tumor-formation-by-MDA-MB-231-Cells_COR-1-102 
KW - breast cancer, MDA-MB-231, NOD SCID mice, STAT3, triple negative breast cancer, tumor growth xenograft
AB - STAT3 plays a central role in oncogenesis by mediating cell survival, growth, and differentiation. It is
constitutively activated in breast cancer. We investigated the role of STAT3 in tumor development by
knocking down STAT3 levels in MDA-MB-231 triple negative breast cancer cells using short hairpin RNA.
The tumor forming potential of these STAT3-depleted cells was assessed by xenografts in
immunocompromised NOD SCID mice. Contrary to its accepted tumor promoting role, we found STAT3
to be a negative regulator of growth in MDA-MB-231- derived tumors. Although similar observations have
been made in thyroid carcinoma and lung adenocarcinoma xenograft studies, our novel results showed for
the first time that the role of STAT3 in promoting tumorigenesis may be context-specific, and that STAT3
may actually be a negative regulator of certain breast-cancer types. Studies to identify the mechanisms of
STAT3’s negative regulatory role may be useful in developing STAT3-based therapeutics.
Abbreviations:
Breast cancer, BC; triple negative breast cancer, TNBC; signal transducer and activator of transcription,
STAT.