Expression of cyclin E and its low-molecular weight (LMW) forms in node-negative breast cancer

Aims: Cyclin E occurs in two different forms: The complete, 50 kD high-molecular weight form and different low-molecular weight forms. The latter are expressed only in tumor cells. In contrast to HMW-forms, the LMW-forms are hyperactive and accelerate the G1-S-transition. Material and methods: To evaluate the biological significance of LMW-forms of cyclin E we examined tissue samples from 87 patients with node-negative breast cancer via Western blot-analysis. None of the patients underwent adjuvant treatment. We used a polyclonal cyclin E-primary antibody (Oncogene, San Diego, USA) which detects HMW- and LMW-for…