The binding of this complex to the BORIS promoter accounts for the hypermethylation and repression of BORIS expression, which results in cell death in the breast cancer cell lines tested.
Using immunohistochemistry, western blot and/or RT-PCR, significantly higher levels of BORIS expression were reported in the neutrophils of cancer breast patients.
Based on their cancer-specific increase in breast cancer patients, circulating MAGE-A and BORIS mRNAs may be further explored for early detection of breast cancer and monitoring of MAGE-directed immunotherapies.
Short interfering RNA (siRNA) molecules targeting BORIS were generated and their efficacy was tested in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer and non-malignant epithelial cell lines.
Detection of BORIS in a high proportion of breast cancer patients implies potential practical applications of BORIS as a molecular biomarker of breast cancer.