THE ROLE OF CYCLE-DEPENDENT KINASE 10 (CDK10) IN TRIPLE NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER (TNBC)

In Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) cells, genetic alterations, mutations, and mitogenic signals disrupt normal cell growth and division, leading to uncontrolled proliferation, aberrant division, apoptosis resistance, and invasive behavior, which are fundamental hallmarks of cancer. Some of these hallmarks are closely associated with dysregulation of central cell cycle proteomic components, such as cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). CDKs, when dysregulated through overexpression, silencing, or other mutations, lead to uncontrolled cell proliferation and genomic instability. For this reason, CDKs have emerged as a potential novel targeted strategy for cancer therapy. Previous studies on CDK expression show that CDKs can either act as oncogenes or tumor suppressors. Bazzi et al. (2021) indicate that there are CDKs who adopt a dual role, acting as tumor suppressors or oncogenes within the same cancer model, thus further complicating the understanding of their function in cancer. Overexpression or loss of CDK expression disrupts cell cycle regulation, contributing to cancer. In addition to their cell cycle regulatory role, some CDKs regulate other cellular processes such as DNA damage and repair, transcription, senescence, invasion, metabolism and immune response, regulation of protein ubiquitination and stability. The CDK10 protein plays a unique role in both cell cycle and transcription regulation. Based on these hypotheses the aim of my thesis is to investigate: 1. The characterization of CDK10 expression in TNBC cell lines 2. CDK10 function and action in cancer cell proliferation, migration, colony formation, and wound healing 3. The characterization of CDK10 expression in TNBC tissue samples In recent years research has focused on identifying specific predictive biomarkers present on TNBC cells in order to create a more targeted and precise therapeutic to improve overall survival and quality of life. TNBC does not have evident specific cellular markers that allow these cancer cells to respond to targeted treatments. The ultimate goal of this research hints at the potential of CDK10 as a novel prognostic biomarker for TNBC, opening new avenues for personalized therapeutic approaches in this aggressive cancer subtype.