Connexin46 Expression Enhances Cancer Stem Cell and Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition Characteristics of Human Breast Cancer MCF-7 Cells.

ABSTRACT: Connexins (Cxs) are a family of proteins that form two different types of ion channels: hemichannels and gap junction channels. These channels participate in cellular communication, enabling them to share information and act as a synchronized syncytium. This cellular communication has been considered a strong tumor suppressor, but it is now recognized that some type of Cxs can be pro-tumorigenic. For example, Cx46 expression is increased in human breast cancer samples and correlates with cancer stem cell (CSC) characteristics in human glioma. Thus, we explored whether Cx46 and glioma cells, can set up CSC and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) properties in a breast cancer cell line. To this end, we transfected MCF-7 cells with Cx46 attached to a green fluorescent protein (Cx46GFP)

SUBMITTER: Acuna RA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8624448 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature