| Cancer is invariably characterised by aberrant cell division and an altered cellular DNA damage response. Several proteins are involved in these processes and, not surprisingly, alterations in the activity of these proteins can cause the formation and/or progression of a tumour. Recent data suggest that the centrosomal protein Cep55 may act both in cellular division and in the DNA damage response. Furthermore, Cep55 expression seems to be associated with breast tumour stage, i.e. higher expression in higher stage, and its expression is also high in colon cancer. This project aims to characterize both the regulation and the biological function of Cep55. Moreover, its mechanism(s) of action in the progression of breast tumours will be investigated. To this end, the proposed project will use a combination of tissue culture cells, clinical specimens and mouse models. |
