SIR Medicine Investigation Abstract
CHROMOSOME TRANSLOCATION OF THE C-MYC GENE IN BREAST CANCER CELLS
Presenter:
Tingting Wu, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, 1500 W. Sullivan Road, Aurora, IL 60506
Advisors:
Dr. Donald Dosch, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, 1500 W. Sullivan Road, Aurora, IL 60506
Dr. Judith Scheppler, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, 1500 W. Sullivan Road, Aurora, IL 60506
Abstract:
The proto-oncogene c-myc codes for a transcription factor that regulates the expression of other genes. Through mutational change, the c-myc oncogene becomes overproduced, causing the cell to repeatedly initiate mitosis even without the presence of growth factors. It has been shown that the DNA in some breast cancers has been rearranged to boost the frequency of c-myc transcription. I asked if the over-expression of the c-myc gene in the breast cancer cell line, MCF7, was the result of chromosome translocation. I tracked the sequence-length variations of the c-myc gene in breast cancer cells using Southern blotting; a T-cell line and a monocytic cell line were used as the controls. Having already run the isolated DNA samples through the electrophoresis gel, I now need to probe the membrane to identify c-myc from the other genetic material. And from there on, I hope to determine the effect of gene juxtaposition on cancer.