Unmet NeedMutations in the transcription factor-encoding gene
GATA3 are highly prevalent in breast cancer but the functional role of mutant
GATA3 in malignancy remains unclear due in part to the absence of appropriate research tools. Human breast cancer cell lines with mutant and wild-type
GATA3, including MCF-7 and CAMA1, respectively, are commercially available. MCF-7 harbors a
GATA3 frame shift mutation (D336Gfs*17) commonly observed in breast cancer, but in order to determine the precise role of this mutation, an isogenic cell line with wild-type
GATA3 is required. Alternatively, a cell line isogenic to CAMA1, but with mutant
GATA3 would also be an appropriate mutant/control pairing that could be used to probe the function of this specific
GATA3 mutation in breast cancer.
Technology OverviewJohns Hopkins researchers used recombinant adeno-associated viral (rAAV) vectors to generate two different cell lines useful for human breast cancer research related to
GATA3 mutation. The first is derived from MCF-7 cells in which mutant
GATA3 was replaced with the wild-type gene for all alleles. The second is derived from CAMA-1 cells in which the
GATA3 D336Gfs*17 mutation was introduced into one allele.
Stage of DevelopmentBoth of these cell lines have been validated, and initial experiments have been performed to characterize the functional effects of
GATA3 manipulation
in vitro and
in vivo as well as in preclinical drug studies, demonstrating the utility of these cell lines as basic research and translational tools.
PublicationsPLoS Genet. 2016 Sep 2;12(9):e1006279.