835 S. Wolcott Ave., (M/C 901)
Chicago, IL 60612-7342
312-996-7620 phone
312-996-1414 fax
Jonna Frasor, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Estrogen action in breast cancer
Description: Estrogen plays an important physiological role in the development and function of numerous tissues. However, estrogen can also have an impact on pathological conditions, such as breast cancer and osteoporosis. Estrogen acts through its nuclear receptors, estrogen receptor a and b (ER a and ER b ), to regulate transcription of target genes. How ER activity is regulated in pathological conditions is the focus of my lab. One possible modulator of ER activity is inflammation, a process involved in many of the same diseases as estrogen. While in many cases estrogen has an anti-inflammatory effect, we have found that estrogen and inflammatory cytokines can act together to regulate expression of specific genes in a synergistic manner. Many of these genes have the potential to alter breast tumor progression and response to therapy. We are currently using molecular, cellular and translational approaches to uncover how estrogen and cytokines interact to influence breast cancer. In addition, we are exploring whether these same mechanisms may underlie estrogen action in other tissue types and diseases.
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