Caveolin-1 as tumor suppressor gene in breast cancer.

PURPOSE: Many articles have reported the caveolin-1 gene to be downregulated thus suggesting that it might be a candidate tumor suppressor gene in many tumors, but in bladder tumors the caveolin-1 gene was expressed and related to the pathological grade. We investigated the function of caveolin-1 protein in breast tumors.
METHODS: We introduced the caveolin-1 gene into a MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line, and examined its cell growth, cell viability, and anchorage-independent growth.
RESULTS: The caveolin-1 transfectants showed less proliferation than the vector control transfectants on the fourth day regarding the cell growth rate. In addition, the cell viability of the caveolin-1 transfectants was about 55% of the vector control. A soft agar assay of the caveolin-1 transfectants showed less growth with a lower number of colonies.
CONCLUSION: In MCF-7 cells, the caveolin-1 gene may influence the tumor suppressor efficacy.