Sara Karimi Moghadam, Roohollah Dorostkar, Saeed Hesami Takallou,
Volume 20, Issue 11 (2-2018)
Abstract
Abstract
Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Iran and breast cancer is the fifth leading cause of death among women. Diagnosis of breast cancer in early stages could increase the lifetime of more than 90% of patients. Human endogenous retroviruses are as heterochromatic parts of the genome, lack any expression. But in several categories of human cancers, including breast cancer, there is a significant increase in the level of HERV-Kenv mRNA.
Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, blood samples were collected from 40 breast cancer patients admitted in Baqiyatallah Hospital and 20 healthy individuals to study the increased expression of HERV-Kenv mRNA using specific primers and were tested by RT-PCR.
Results: Investigations on the patient and control groups showed that increased expression of mRNA was positive in 60% of patients with breast cancer and negative in all healthy subjects.
Conclusion: The results of this study showed that expression of mRNA HERV Kenv in breast cancer was increased. Since enhancement of mRNA HERV-Kenv in the blood of breast cancer patients occurs in of disease, these retroelements could be used as a diagnostic biomarker
