Herceptin Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Herceptin, including details on side-effects, breast cancer, treatment, therapy.

Targeting fatty acid synthase: potential for therapeutic intervention in her-2/neu-overexpressing breast cancer.

Menendez JA, Lupu R, Colomer R

Department of Medicine, Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Research Institute, Evanston, Illinois 60201, USA. jmenendez@enh.org

Fatty acid synthase (FAS)-catalyzed de novo fatty acid biosynthesis, an anabolic energy-storage pathway largely considered of minor importance in humans, actively contributes to the cancer phenotype by virtue of its ability to specifically regulate the expression and activity of Her-2/neu (erbB-2) oncogene. First, a positive correlation between high levels of FAS expression and/or activity and the amplification and/or overexpression of Her-2/neu oncogene exists in human breast cancer cell lines. Second, Her-2/neu overexpression stimulates the activity of FAS gene promoter and ultimately mediates increased endogenous fatty acid biosynthesis, while this Her-2/neu-induced upregulation of breast cancer-associated FAS is inhibitable by anti-Her-2/neu antibodies such as trastuzumab (Herceptin(TM)). Third, pharmacological inhibition of FAS activity negatively regulates the expression and tyrosine-kinase activity of Her-2/neu-coded p185(Her-2/neu) oncoprotein.

Published 25 October 2005 in Drug News Perspect, 18(6): 375-85.
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