The research group led by Prof. Long Zhang from Life Sciences Institute (LSI), Zhejiang University has recently published a paper entitled “c-Myb enhances breast cancer invasion and metastasis through the Wnt/β-catenin/Axin2 pathway” in Cancer Research on March 2016.

The molecular underpinnings of aggressive breast cancers remain mainly obscure. The transcription factor c-Myb is identified required for the pro-metastatic character of basal breast cancers. c-Myb is an activator of Wnt/β-catenin signaling. c-Myb interacted with the intracellular Wnt effector β-catenin and co-activated the Wnt/β-catenin target genes Cyclin D1 and Axin2. Moreover, c-Myb controlled metastasis in an Axin2 dependent manner. Expression microarray analyses revealed a positive association between Axin2 and c-Myb, a target of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β that was found to be required for IL-1β-induced breast cancer cell invasion. Overall, our results identified c-Myb as a promoter of breast cancer invasion and metastasis through its ability to activate Wnt/β-catenin/Axin2 signaling.

Text link: http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2016/04/05/0008-5472.CAN-15-2302.abstract