BACKGROUND: Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) belong to the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) super family, which are primarily known for their inherent role in osteogenesis and ontogenesis. Accumulating evidence suggests the regulatory role of BMP-4 in cellular proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation and thus a possible oncogenic role.
OBJECTIVE: Variable cellular expression and in vitro functional assays are indicative of the involvement of BMP related signaling in Breast cancer(BC). The differential expression of BMP-4 in the peripheral blood of BC patients may therefore be considered as a potential biomarker. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate transcriptional expression of BMP-4 and its cognate receptor BMPR-II in the peripheral blood from the BC patients in relation to the healthy individuals.
METHODS: The expression pattern of BMP-4 and BMPR-II was analyzed in the blood of breast cancer patients (n= 22) and healthy controls (n= 22) through Semi Quantitative Reverse transcription Polymerase chain reaction.
RESULTS: An up-regulated expression of BMP-4 and BMPR-II was observed in the peripheral blood of breast cancer patients especially in the advanced-stage of the disease. Moreover, BMP-4 and BMPR-II expressions were found to be correlated.
CONCLUSION: The current preliminary results based on the transcriptional analysis suggest the prospective use of BMP4 as a biomarker, however further validation is required.
