Insight

Maria Babak: New Work in Science Signaling

Maria (Masha) Babak/LinkedIn

Aug 24, 2025, 15:58

Maria Babak: New Work in Science Signaling

Maria Babak, Head of The Babak Lab and Assistant Professor at City University of Hong Kong, shared a post by The Babak Lab, adding:

“New work in Science Signaling: HOXC12 drives β₂-adrenoceptor–dependent invasion in TNBC — a potential new therapeutic target.”

Quoting The Babak Lab‘s post:

“Scientific Wednesdays: Hox-C12 Drives Invasion in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer via β₂-Adrenoceptor Loop

A recent Science Signaling study (August 19, 2025; DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.adq8279) highlights Hox-C12 as a pivotal molecular switch that enables tumor invasion in β₂-adrenoceptor–responsive triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

Study Focus:
Decipher the mechanism behind the β₂-adrenoceptor–cAMP–calcium feedforward loop driving TNBC invasion and pinpoint genetic regulators of this pathway.

Key Findings:
•⁠ ⁠Hox-C12, a homeobox transcription factor, emerged as the key mediator of β₂-adrenoceptor–dependent invasion in TNBC cell lines
•⁠ ⁠Hox-C12 acts non-transcriptionally (cytosolic localization) and is essential for feedforward cAMP–calcium signaling
•⁠ ⁠CRISPR-mediated knockout of HOXC12 halted β₂-adrenoceptor–triggered calcium signaling and invasion in vitro
•⁠ ⁠High HOXC12 expression in patient tumors correlated with worse overall and disease-free survival

Conclusion:
Hox-C12 is a potential therapeutic target and biomarker for TNBC. Its presence may indicate responsiveness to β-blocker therapies and highlight opportunities to block aggressive invasion.

Image generated using Sora by OpenAI.
A link to the full article can be found in the comments section.”