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Implications of Axis Inhibition Protein 2 in Breast Cancer Progression

Sung Yong Ahn1,2,3, Chris Hyunchul Jo1,2,3

  • 1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; davidahn@snu.ac.kr chrisjo@snu.ac.kr.

In Vivo (Athens, Greece)
|March 7, 2023
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Axis inhibition protein 2 (Axin2) promotes breast cancer progression by mediating Snail1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Axin2 knockdown reduces tumor growth and metastasis, identifying it as a potential therapeutic target for triple-negative breast cancer.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cancer Metastasis

Background:

  • Axis inhibition protein 2 (Axin2) traditionally viewed as a tumor suppressor.
  • Emerging evidence suggests Axin2 promotes oncogenesis via Snail1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in breast cancer.
  • EMT is critical for initiating cancer metastasis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the biological role and mechanism of Axin2 in breast cancer progression.
  • To investigate Axin2's involvement in Snail1-mediated EMT.
  • To assess Axin2 as a potential therapeutic target.

Main Methods:

  • Western blotting to assess Axin2 and Snail1 expression in MDA-MB-231 cells.
  • Xenograft mouse models using Axin2-knockdown triple-negative breast cancer cells to evaluate tumorigenesis.
  • Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) for EMT marker analysis.
  • Kaplan-Meier plotter and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) for clinical data analysis.

Main Results:

  • Axin2 knockdown significantly inhibited MDA-MB-231 cell proliferation in vitro and reduced tumor formation in vivo.
  • Axin2 knockdown led to increased epithelial marker expression and decreased mesenchymal marker expression.
  • These findings suggest Axin2 promotes EMT and tumor progression.

Conclusions:

  • Axin2 plays a significant role in breast cancer progression, especially in triple-negative subtypes.
  • Axin2 mediates Snail1-induced EMT, contributing to cancer metastasis.
  • Axin2 represents a promising therapeutic target for breast cancer treatment.
Keywords:
Axin2EMTSnail1triple negative breast cancer

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