Keywords: r. tumor suppressors and oncogenes; h. tumorigenesis
There have been increases in incidences of breast cancer since 1970 due to increased exposure to chemicals in our daily lives. Parabens are found in our everyday lives and are disproportionately pushed on poor communities via personal products and food. Recent studies have found that parabens mimic estrogen and attach to the receptors of breast cancer cells and cause them to proliferate, however the pathway and additional targets are poorly understood. The BRCA2 gene plays a vital role in providing instructions for creating a tumor suppressor protein preventing cells from excessively multiplying. When there is a mutation in this gene, it could cause breast cancer due to the loss of function of the protein. This experiment analyzes the effect of the toxins methyl and ethyl paraben on organisms with BRCA2 gene mutations using Drosophila melanogaster. To study this, the survivability of homozygous BRCA2 mutant, we exposed larvae to different concentrations of parabens (300, 700, 1000 mg/l) and determined the survival rate. Overall, it was found that there was increased synthetic lethality in flies and at increased doses of parabens. These findings will pave the way in lowering the amount of future breast cancer cases caused by the use of methyl and ethyl paraben.