Item – Theses Canada

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OCLC number
1006936485
Link(s) to full text
LAC copy
LAC copy
Author
Muzia, David,1973-
Title
The effects of the progesterone metabolites, 5[alpha]-pregnane-3,20-dione (5[alpha]P) and 3[alpha]-hydroxy-4-pregnen-20-one (3[alpha]-HP), on the cytoskeleton and cellular adhesion of MCF-7 breast cancer cells.
Degree
M. Sc. -- University of Western Ontario, 1999
Publisher
Ottawa : National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, [2000]
Description
2 microfiches
Notes
Includes bibliographical references.
Abstract
The steroid hormone, progesterone, is necessary for full differentiation and development of breast tissue. In both normal and cancerous breast tissue, progesterone can be metabolized into two separate categories of metabolites: the 5$\alpha$-pregnanes, which stimulate cellular proliferation, and the $\Delta\sp4$-pregenes, which inhibit cellular proliferation. Other than their effect on cellular proliferation, the effects of these progesterone metabolites on the structure and physiology of breast cancer cells are unknown. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of 5$\alpha$-pregnane-3,20-dione (5$\alpha$P, a representative 5$\alpha$-pregnane) and 3$\alpha$-hydroxy-4-pregnen-20-one (3$\alpha$-HP, a representative $\Delta\sp4$-pregene) on cellular adhesion, actin cytoskeleton and focal adhesions, the expression of the structural proteins actin and vinculin, and the morphology of MCF-7 breast cancer cells. The actin cytoskeleton and focal adhesions were studied in cells stained with Phalloidin-Rhodamine or anti-vinculin-TRITC using scanning laser confocal microscopy, flourescence microscopy, and digital computer image analysis. Unstained cells were utilized to study protein expression (via western blotting), cellular adhesion, and cellular morphology. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
ISBN
0612421813
9780612421813