Trop2 is a potential biomarker for the promotion of EMT in human breast cancer

Abstract

Trop2 is considered to have an important function in tumor metastasis and the promotion of epithelial‑mesenchymal transition (EMT). E‑cadherin is a crucial factor in intercellular adhesion and EMT transformation. In the present study, we detected the expression of Trop2 and E‑cadherin in breast cancer (BC) to better define their prognostic value. The mRNA expression levels of these two genes in 20 cases of fresh BC tissues were detected by quantitative real‑time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‑PCR). We also detected the expression levels of these two genes by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in 312 BC tissues, and the correlations between the expression of these two genes and the clinicopathological characteristics in BC patients were analyzed. The mRNA and protein expression levels of the two genes in BC cell lines were studied by qRT‑PCR and western blotting. The results indicated that Trop2+/E‑cadherin‑ was expressed in BC tissues more than that in the matched adjacent tissues. The protein expression results obtained via IHC were similar to the mRNA expression results. Trop2+/E‑cadherin‑ that was expressed in BC was associated with lymph node status, metastasis, tumor‑node‑metastasis (TNM) stage, and ER‑/PR‑/HER2‑ expression. BC patients that expressed Trop2+/E‑cadherin‑ had poor overall survival rates. The results of Trop2 and E‑cadherin expression levels obtained in the BC cell lines were the same as those obtained in the BC tissues. Overall, Trop2 has a potential role in the promotion of EMT in BC and it could be considered as a therapeutic target in the future.

ANKRD44 Gene Silencing: A Putative Role in Trastuzumab Resistance in Her2-Like Breast Cancer

“…TACSTD2 expression is known to inhibit p27 (46), which can increase cyclin D/E levels associated with the transition from the G1 to the S phase and this finding is consistent with our results from the cell cycle analysis. As confirmation to our data, TACSTD2 is reported in the literature as associated to the epithelial-mesenchimal transition and therefore to a more aggressive profile, in BC (47).…”

Trop2: Jack of All Trades, Master of None

“…However, there are specific cancer types in which Trop2 is downregulated ( Table 2 ). In general, overexpression of Trop2 often correlates with an unfavorable prognosis and increased risk of metastasis [ 66 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 , 87 ]. Nevertheless, there are exceptions to this trend and in some types of cancer, the downregulation is correlated with poor prognosis instead [ 88 ] ( Table 2 ).…”

<p>Targeting Trop-2 in solid tumors: future prospects</p>

“…Moreover, Zhao et al have correlated Trop-2 mRNA and protein expression levels to several breast cancer clinical prognostic indicators, including lymph node status, metastasis, stage, and estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor/HER2 expression. The group demonstrates that Trop-2 is a potential biomarker for the promotion of EMT in breast cancer 36. Gu et al have demonstrated that Trop-2 expression promotes proliferation and migration of osteosarcoma cell lines through the PI3K/AKT pathway.…”