Silencing of Prrx2 Inhibits the Invasion and Metastasis of Breast Cancer both In Vitro and In Vivo by Reversing Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition.
BACKGROUND/AIMS
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is recognized as a crucial mechanism in breast cancer progression and metastasis. Paired-related homeobox 2 (Prrx2) has been identified as a new EMT inducer in cancer, but the underlying mechanisms are still poorly understood.


METHODS
The expression of Prrx2 was assessed by immunohistochemistry in breast cancer tissues to evaluate the clinicopathological significance of Prrx2, as well as the correlation between Prrx2 and EMT. Short hairpin RNA knockdown of Prrx2 was used to examine cellular effects of Prrx2, detecte the expression of Wnt/β-catenin signaling and EMT-associated proteins, and observe cell proliferation, invasion and migration abilities in vitro and in vivo.


RESULTS
Clinical association studies showed that Prrx2 expression was related to tumor size, lymph node metastasis, tumor node metastasis stages, EMT and poor survival. Results also showed that knockdown of Prrx2 could alter cell morphology, suppressed the abilities of cell proliferation, invasion and migration in breast cancer. Moreover, silencing of Prrx2 induced the mesenchymal-epithelial transition and prevented nuclear translocation of β-catenin, inhibited wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.


CONCLUSION
Our study indicated that Prrx2 may be an important activator of EMT in human breast cancer and it can serve as a molecular target of therapeutic interventions for breast cancer.
['Lv|Zhi-Dong|ZD|', 'Wang|Hai-Bo|HB|', 'Liu|Xiang-Ping|XP|', 'Jin|Li-Ying|LY|', 'Shen|Ruo-Wu|RW|', 'Wang|Xin-Gang|XG|', 'Kong|Bin|B|', 'Qu|Hui-Li|HL|', 'Li|Fu-Nian|FN|', 'Yang|Qi-Feng|QF|']
D000328:Adult D000818:Animals D001943:Breast Neoplasms D045744:Cell Line, Tumor D002465:Cell Movement D049109:Cell Proliferation D018572:Disease-Free Survival D058750:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition D005260:Female D018398:Homeodomain Proteins D006801:Humans D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis D061986:MCF-7 Cells D051379:Mice D008819:Mice, Nude D008875:Middle Aged D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis D034622:RNA Interference D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous D060449:Wnt Signaling Pathway D051176:beta Catenin
Invasion Breast cancer Epithelial-mesenchymal transition Paired-related homeobox 2 Proliferation