ZNF259 promotes breast cancer cells invasion and migration via ERK/GSK3β/snail signaling

Bin Liu,1 Xiaojing Xing,1 Xiang Li,2 Qianxue Guo,1 Tonghong Xu,1 Ke Xu3 1Medical Oncology, Cancer Hospital of China Medical University, Liaoning Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, People’s Republic of China; 2Breast Surgery, Cancer Hospital of China Medical University, Liaoning Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, People’s Republic of China; 3Thoracic Surgery, Cancer Hospital of China Medical University, Liaoning Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, People’s Republic of China Purpose: Zinc finger protein 259 (ZNF259), also known as ZPR1, is a zinc finger-containing protein that can bind the intracellular tyrosine kinase domain of EGFR. At present, our knowledge on ZNF259 in cancers is limited. Here, we aimed to explore the biological functions of ZNF259 in breast cancer and reveal their mechanisms.Patients and methods: The expression of ZNF259 was measured in 133 cases of breast cancer by immunohistochemistry. The online database Kaplan–Meier (KM) Plotter Online Tool was used to analyze the relationship between ZNF259 expression and breast cancer patient survival prognosis. Plasmid transfection and small interfering RNA and inhibitor treatments were carried out to explore the functions of ZNF259 in breast cancer cell lines and its potential mechanism. Matrigel invasion and wound healing assays were performed to detect the invasion and migration ability of cancer cells. In addition, protein expressions in tissues and cells were determined by Western blotting.Results: ZNF259 expression was much higher in breast cancer cells than in the adjacent normal breast duct glandular epithelial cells (75.94% vs 7.52%, P