title: Nek2C functions as a tumor promoter in human breast tumorigenesis.
abstract: The serine⁄threonine kinase Nek2 has been proposed as a requirement for the progression of breast cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of Nek2C, which is a splice variant of Nek2, and the role it plays in the different stages of breast cancer. We investigated the role of Nek2C in the MCF10 breast cancer cell lines, MCF10A, MCF10AT, MCF10DCIS.com and MCF10CA1a, using RNA interference and plasmid transfection, as well as breast tissue samples of normal breast tissue (NBT), atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH), ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). We detected the mRNA Nek2C expression levels in the MCF10 cell lines and in human breast samples. Our results revealed that the mRNA expression of Nek2C was significantly upregulated in the MCF10DCIS.com and MCF10CA1a cell lines as well as in human primary breast cancer tissue (DCIS and IDC). As expected, the Nek2C downregulation, using RNA interference, decreased the survival, invasion and migration of MCF10DCIS.com and MCF10CA1a cells. Consistent with these results, the Nek2C upregulation in MCF10A and MCF10AT cells using plasmid transfection increased the survival ability of these cells. Our results also revealed a correlation between Nek2C mRNA expression levels and tumor grade. Taken together, our findings suggest that Nek2C plays a signicficant role in breast cancer development and that Nek2C inhibition may be a useful therapeutic approach to targeting human breast tumors.
authors: Department of Breast Cancer Pathology and Research Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Ministry of Education, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin 300060, PR China.
authors: Ziyu
authors: Z
authors: Liu
authors: Yahong
authors: Y
authors: Wang
authors: Shuling
authors: S
authors: Wang
authors: Jing
authors: J
authors: Zhang
authors: Fei
authors: F
authors: Zhang
authors: Yun
authors: Y
authors: Niu
mesh_terms: D001940:Breast / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000235:genetics*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002465:Cell Movement; D002470:Cell Survival; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D006965:Hyperplasia / Q000235:genetics*; D000072379:NIMA-Related Kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics*; D034622:RNA Interference; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000235:genetics; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; C089441:NEK2 protein, human; D000072379:NIMA-Related Kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases