Loss of Syk in normal breast cells. Homo sapiens

Loss of Syk in normal breast cells in vivo and in vitro: gene expression and phenotypic switch to stem-cell like with induction of invadopodia Morphological and gene microarray analysis following Syk knockdown in MCF10A reveals a loss of luminal and differentiated epithelial features with epithelial to mesenchymal transition and a gain in invadopodia and stem/ progenitor cell marker expression. These results support the role of Syk in limiting normal stem/progenitor proliferation and invasion during morphogenesis, and support the role of Syk as a critical tumor suppressor for breast cancer. Overall design: Global gene expression profiles were measured using Affymetrix U133A 2.0 microarrays in MCF10A cell lines (control and Syk siRNA knockdown cells on collagen gels or plastic).