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DHX36 plays an oncogenic role in breast cancer progression and invasiveness

Chunli Wei1, Dongmei Xu1,2, Jingliang Cheng1

  • 1Key Laboratory of Epigenetics and Oncology, The Research Center for Preclinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, 319 Zhongshan Road, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan Province, China.

Scientific Reports
|December 2, 2025
PubMed

Insights

DHX36, a DNA/RNA helicase, promotes breast cancer growth and metastasis. Targeting DHX36 may offer a new breast cancer treatment strategy, as it serves as a potential biomarker.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Oncology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Breast cancer therapy faces limitations with current targeted drugs.
  • DHX36 (DNA helicase II) is an ATP-dependent helicase involved in unwinding guanine-quadruplexes (G4s) in DNA and RNA.
  • The role of DHX36 in breast cancer progression and its potential as a therapeutic target remain largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of DHX36 in breast cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion.
  • To determine the expression levels of DHX36 in clinical breast tumor tissues.
  • To evaluate the correlation between DHX36 expression and patient prognosis.

Main Methods:

  • In vitro studies involving overexpression, knockdown, and knockout of DHX36 in breast cancer cells.
  • In vivo experiments to assess tumor growth and metastasis.
  • Analysis of DHX36 expression in clinical breast tumor samples and correlation with recurrence-free survival (RFS).

Main Results:

  • Overexpression of DHX36 enhanced breast cancer cell growth, migration, and invasion in vitro.
  • DHX36 knockdown or knockout inhibited these processes both in vitro and in vivo.
  • DHX36 was significantly overexpressed in breast tumors compared to healthy tissues and correlated with poor RFS.

Conclusions:

  • DHX36 acts as a proto-oncogene, promoting breast cancer growth and metastasis.
  • DHX36 is a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for breast cancer.
  • Targeting DHX36 or its associated G4 structures presents a promising novel anticancer strategy.
Keywords:
Breast cancerDHX36MetastasisOncogene

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