Open AccessC/EBPß Isoform Specific Gene Regulation: It’s a Lot more Complicated than you Think!
Author(s) -
Aaron J Spike,
Jeffrey M. Rosen
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of mammary gland biology and neoplasia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.177
H-Index - 99
eISSN - 1573-7039
pISSN - 1083-3021
DOI - 10.1007/s10911-020-09444-5
Subject(s) - gene isoform , biology , context (archaeology) , breast cancer , mammary gland , tumor microenvironment , alternative splicing , chemokine , immune system , immunotherapy , cytokine , cancer research , cancer , medicine , immunology , gene , genetics , paleontology
It has been almost 30 years since C/EBPß was discovered. Seminal studies have shown that C/EBPß is a master regulator of mammary gland development and has been shown to control and influence proliferation and differentiation through varying mechanisms. The single-exon C/EBPß mRNA yields at least three different protein isoforms which have diverse, specific, context-dependent, and often non-overlapping roles throughout development and breast cancer progression. These roles are dictated by a number of complex factors including: expression levels of other C/EBP family members and their stoichiometry relative to the isoform in question, binding site affinity, post-translational modifications, co-factor expression, and even hormone levels and lactogenic status. Here we summarize the historical work up to the latest findings in the field on C/EBPß in the mammary gland and in breast cancer. With the current emphasis on improving immunotherapy in breast cancer the role of specific C/EBPß isoforms in regulating specific chemokine and cytokine expression and the immune microenvironment will be of increasing interest.