Research Interests:

My research focuses on determining the mechanisms by which human breast cancer cells progress from estrogen dependence to independence and how breast cancers develop resistance to antiestrogens and other endocrine therapies. A goal is to determine the types of estrogen receptor expressed in human breast tissues (ER alpha, ER beta and their variant isoforms) as well as their relevant coactivators and corepressors. How these factors change during human breast tumorigenesis and breast cancer progression is also a goal of the research. Additional research interests include the interaction of progestins and antiprogestins with human breast cancer cells, and most recently the identification and characterization of genes differentially expressed between in situ
(preinvasive) breast cancer and invasive breast cancer, in order to identify markers and eventually functional determinants of invasive potential in in situ human breast cancer. My research although basic in nature, encompasses a translational philosophy recognizing the need for relevance to the breast cancer patient. Therefore, while working with laboratory models of human breast cancer, much of my work now uses human breast tissue samples and targets in situ approaches to assess the heterogeneity of cellular composition inherent in these tissue samples.

Selected Publications:

1. Lu B. Leygue E, Dotzlaw H, Murphy LJ, Murphy LC Functional characteristics of a novel mouse estrogen receptor-beta isoform, estrogen receptor beta2. J Mol Endocrinol: 25: 229-242, 2000. PMID 11013349
2.  Simon S, Parkes A, Leygue E, Dotzlaw H, Snell L, Troup S, Adeyinka A, Watson P, Murphy LC Expression of REA in human breast tumors: relationship to some known prognostic markers. Cancer Res 60: 2796-9, 2000. PMID 10850416
3.  Murphy LC, Simon S, Parkes A, Leygue E, Dotzlaw H, Snell L, Troup S, Adeyinka A, Watson P. Altered expression of estrogen receptor coregulators during human breast tumorigenesis. Cancer Res: 60, 6266-6271, 2000. PMID 11103781
4. Al-Haddad S, Zhang Z, Leygue E, Snell L, Huang A, Niu Y, Hiller-Hitchcock T, Hole K, Murphy LC, Watson PH. Psoriasin (S100A7) expression and invasive breast cancer. Am J Pathol: 155: 2057-2066,. 1999. PMID 10595935
5. Leygue E, Dotzlaw H, Watson PH, Murphy LC Expression of the steroid receptor RNA activator (SRA) in human breast tumors. Cancer Res: 59: 4190-4193, 1999. PMID 10485452
6.  Dotzlaw, H., Leygue, E., Watson, P.H., Murphy, L.C. The human orphan receptor PXR mRNA is expressed in both normal and neoplastic breast tissue. Clin Cancer Res: 5, 2103-2107, 1999. PMID 10473093
7. Leygue, E., Dotzlaw, H., Watson, P.H., Murphy, L.C. Expression of estrogen receptor beta 1, beta 2 and beta 5 mRNAs in human breast tissue. Cancer Res. 59: 1175-1179, 1999. PMID 10096542
8. Dotzlaw, H., Leygue, E., Watson, P.H., Murphy, L.C. Estrogen receptor-messenger RNA expression in human breast tumor biopsies: relationship to steroid receptor status and regulation by progestin.Cancer Res. 59: 529-532, 1999. PMID 9973194
9.  Leygue, E., Dotzlaw, H., Watson, PH., Murphy, L.C.Altered estrogen receptor alpha and beta mRNA expression during human breast tumorigenesis. Cancer Res. 58: 3197-3201, 1998. PMID 9699641
10. Coutts, A., Murphy, L.C. Elevated mitogen-activated protein kinase activity in estrogen non-responsive human breast cancer cells. Cancer Res. 58: 4071-4074, 1998. PMID 9751612
11. Huang, A., Leygue, E., Snell, L., Murphy, L.C., Watson, P.H. Expression of estrogen receptor variant mRNAs and determination of estrogen receptor status in human breast cancer. Am. J. Pathol. 150: 1827-1833, 1997. PMID 9137105
12. Leygue, E.R., Snell, L., Hiller, T., Watson, P.H., Murphy, L.C. Differential expression of psoriasin (S100A7) mRNA between in-situ and invasive human breast carcinoma. Cancer Res. 56: 4606-4609, 1996. PMID 8840971
    

PubMed Listed Publications