Suzanne Fuqua on the Interaction Between ER and AR

Suzanne A. W. Fuqua, PhD, professor of medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, talks about the interaction between estrogen receptors (ER) and androgen receptors (AR) in patients with breast cancer.

Fuqua says receptors, like AR and ER, can bind together at non-genomic sites and elicit one effect, like protein kinase B/Akt. Receptors can also bind together on DNA to help regulate genes, which cause proliferation, Fuqua says.

The basic biology is becoming clear that receptors are acting together, Fuqua says, raising the need for combination therapies when treating patients with breast cancer.