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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Jul 8.
Published in final edited form as: Cancer Cell. 2013 Jul 8;24(1):3–5. doi: 10.1016/j.ccr.2013.06.010

Figure 1. Par-4 expression is a key determinant of breast cancer recurrence.

Figure 1

Primary breast tumors display heterogeneity in expression profiles for Par-4 and SNAIL. Breast tumor cells with higher SNAIL transcription factor activity undergo EMT and metastasize. Oncogene-inhibition or chemotherapy of primary or metastatic breast tumors causes Par-4-dependent apoptosis for cancer cells expressing normal levels of Par-4 via multinucleation, which is dependent on ZIP kinase and MLC2 activation. On the other hand, primary or metastatic breast tumor cells expressing low levels of Par-4 (i.e., below a critical threshold) evade apoptosis; such cells constitute recurrent tumors at both local and distant sites.