Differential gene expression of Wnt signaling pathway in benign, premalignant, and malignant human breast epithelial cells.

To gain insight into the role of gene expression alterations in breast cancer progression, we conducted a comprehensive gene expression analysis of a series of cell lines derived from MCF10A, which include benign MCF10A cells, premalignant AT, and malignant CA1a tumor cells. We analyzed gene expression variation using the Agilent Human Genome Oligo Microarray with the goal of identifying gene-specific expression change events. In addition to a previously noted overexpression in oncogene MDM2, HRAS, and PCNA, our studies identified overexpression of Wnt signaling pathway in malignant breast cell lines. The Kaplan-Meier plot showed that high c-Myc expression in breast cancer was associated with tumor progression and the patient's poor survival. This study showed that the Wnt pathway has further provided a basis for the development of potential biomarker for breast cancer prognosis.