title: Lentiviral Vector Mediated Claudin1 Silencing Inhibits Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition in Breast Cancer Cells.
abstract: Breast cancer has a high incidence and mortality rate worldwide. Several viral vectors including lentiviral, adenoviral and adeno-associated viral vectors have been used in gene therapy for various forms of human cancer, and have shown promising effects in controlling tumor development. Claudin1 (CLDN1) is a member of the tetraspan transmembrane protein family that plays a major role in tight junctions and is associated with tumor metastasis. However, the role of CLDN1 in breast cancer is largely unexplored. In this study, we tested the therapeutic potential of silencing CLDN1 expression in two breast cancer (MDA-MB-231 and MCF7) cell lines using lentiviral vector mediated RNA interference. We found that a CLDN1 short hairpin (shRNA) construct efficiently silenced CLDN1 expression in both breast cancer cell lines, and CLDN1 knockdown resulted in reduced cell proliferation, survival, migration and invasion. Furthermore, silencing CLDN1 inhibited epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) by upregulating the epithelial cell marker, E-cadherin, and downregulating mesenchymal markers, smooth muscle cell alpha-actin (SMA) and Snai2. Our data demonstrated that lentiviral vector mediated CLDN1 RNA interference has great potential in breast cancer gene therapy by inhibiting EMT and controlling tumor cell growth.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150086, China. ynzou@sina.com.|Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA. ynzou@sina.com.|Center for Cancer Research, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 19 S. Manassas St., Rm. 266, Memphis, TN 38163, USA. ynzou@sina.com.
authors.forename: Xianqi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150086, China. yzou4@uthsc.edu.|Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA. yzou4@uthsc.edu.|Center for Cancer Research, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 19 S. Manassas St., Rm. 266, Memphis, TN 38163, USA. yzou4@uthsc.edu.
authors.forename: Yanan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA. qgu4@uthsc.edu.|Center for Cancer Research, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 19 S. Manassas St., Rm. 266, Memphis, TN 38163, USA. qgu4@uthsc.edu.
authors.forename: Qingqing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA. gzhao4@uthsc.edu.|Center for Cancer Research, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 19 S. Manassas St., Rm. 266, Memphis, TN 38163, USA. gzhao4@uthsc.edu.
authors.forename: Guannan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA. horacegray1991@yahoo.com.|Center for Cancer Research, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 19 S. Manassas St., Rm. 266, Memphis, TN 38163, USA. horacegray1991@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Horace
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA. lpfeffer@uthsc.edu.|Center for Cancer Research, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 19 S. Manassas St., Rm. 266, Memphis, TN 38163, USA. lpfeffer@uthsc.edu.
authors.forename: Lawrence M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Pfeffer
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA. jyue@uthsc.edu.|Center for Cancer Research, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 19 S. Manassas St., Rm. 266, Memphis, TN 38163, USA. jyue@uthsc.edu.
authors.forename: Junming
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yue
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000378:metabolism*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D062445:Claudin-1 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D058750:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D020868:Gene Silencing; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006801:Humans; D016086:Lentivirus / Q000235:genetics; D008954:Models, Biological; D034622:RNA Interference; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014170:Transformation, Genetic
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; C568108:CLDN1 protein, human; D062445:Claudin-1; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering
keywords: CLDN1; breast cancer; epithelial to mesenchymal transition