RESUMO
New molecular markers of cancer had emerged with novel applications in cancer prevention and therapeutics, including for breast cancer of unknown causes, which has a high impact on the health of women worldwide. The purpose of this research was to determine protein and mRNA expression of synaptic vesicle 2 (SV2) isoforms A, B and C in breast cancer cell lines. Cultured cell lines MDA-MB-231, SKBR3, T47D were lysed and their protein and mRNA expression analyzed by real-time PCR and western blot technique, respectively. SV2A, B proteins were identified in non-tumor (MCF-10A) and tumor cell lines (MDA-MB-231 and T47D) while SV2C only was found in the T47D cell line. Furthermore, the genomic expression was consistent with protein expression for a such cell line, but in MDA-MB-231 there was no SV2B genomic expression, and the SV2C mRNA and protein were not found in the non tumoral cell line. These findings suggest a possible cellular transdifferentiation to neural character in breast cancer, of possible relevance to cancer development, and point to possible use of SV2 as molecular marker and a vehicle for cancer treatment with botulinum toxin.