Detection of BAXΔ2 Positive Macrophage In Breast Tissues

BaxΔ2 is an isoform of the Bax gene and functions as a tumor suppressor. Its gene products can cause programmed cell death. In previous studies, the lab found that BaxΔ2 is found in cells throughout various human organs [2]. Based on the morphological structure of these cells, it is hypothesized that some of these cells may be macrophages. This project focuses on identifying whether BaxΔ2 positive macrophages are found in breast tissue. Six different patient cases with varying grades of cancer were looked at and their cancerous tissue was compared to their normal tissue. A process known as Immunofluorescence Staining uses certain antibodies to test for certain antigens (markers) in a sample of tissue. Co Immunostaining was used to stain for two different markers. In this case, each tissue slide is stained with antibodies against macrophages and BaxΔ2. We found that normal breast tissue had a greater amount of BaxΔ2 in comparison to cancer adjacent tissue, stage 1, 2, and 3 malignant tumors. From the data, it was also analyzed that almost all macrophages were BaxΔ2 positive, however not all BaxΔ2 positive cells were macrophages. This suggests that in addition to its apoptotic function, BaxΔ2 positive macrophage may play a role in immune response. Analyzing the amount of BaxΔ2 present in different types of tissue could also serve as a prognosis marker for cancer patients. In addition, it can be explored if cancer cells expressing BaxΔ2 are more sensitive to chemotherapy treatments.