Breast cancer progression, related to fragile X syndrome protein

A team of researchers, led by scientists from VIB/KU Leuven, Belgium, and the University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy, in collaboration with several research centers and hospitals in Italy, the United Kingdom and, Belgium prove that Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein or FMRP contributes to breast cancer progression. The authors discovered high levels of FMRP in human breast cancer tissue and also analyzed its effects on mice for studying breast cancer. FMRP plays a significant role in the brain and if absent, it causes fragile X syndrome. "Previous studies indicated that patients with Fragile X Syndrome had a decreased risk of developing cancer but little is known about the molecular events that lead to this beneficial effect. We showed that high levels of the FMRP protein in human breast tissue samples are linked to increased risk of breast cancer and the spread of the disease to other tissues throughout the body," EMBO Member Claudia Bagni from VIB/KU Leuven, Belgium, and the University of Rome, Italy, who led the study, remarked. "Our results suggest that FMRP acts as a master regulator of a large group of mRNAs that are involved in multiple steps of cancer progression".