SIX1 induces lymphangiogenesis and metastasis via upregulation of VEGF-C in mouse models of breast cancer.

ABSTRACT: An association between lymph node metastasis and poor prognosis in breast cancer was observed decades ago. However, the mechanisms by which tumor cells infiltrate the lymphatic system are not completely understood. Recently, it has been proposed that the lymphatic system has an active role in metastatic dissemination and that tumor-secreted growth factors stimulate lymphangiogenesis. We therefore investigated whether SIX1, a homeodomain-containing transcription factor previously associated in breast cancer with lymph node positivity, was involved in lymphangiogenesis and lymphatic metastasis. In a model in which human breast cancer cells were injected into immune-compromised mice, we found that SIX1 expression promoted peritumoral and intratumoral lymphangiogenesis, lymphatic invasion, and

SUBMITTER: Wang CA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3336979 | biostudies-literature | 2012 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature