An anti-oncogenic role for decorin

Excerpt

Decorin, a luecine-rich proteoglycan, is normally produced by cells in the breast tissue stroma where it is thought to play a role in matrix assembly, growth factor binding and receptor tyrosine kinase activity. Its expression pattern is consistent with a role in antagonizing cell growth and thus curbing tumor-associated behaviors. Previous studies demonstrated that one mechanism by which decorin exerts its growth-suppressive effects is via interaction with the ErbB family receptor tyrosine kinase, EGFR. However, because decorin expression also appears to influence cells that lack EGFR (eg the breast carcinoma cell line MDA-MB-453) it seemed likely that decorin might exhibit similar effects by acting cooperatively with other related ErbB family members. …