Silencing of SOX12 by shRNA suppresses migration, invasion and proliferation of breast cancer cells

Synopsis Sex determining region Y-box protein 12 (SOX12) is essential for embryonic development and cell-fate determination. The role of SOX12 in tumorigenesis of breast cancer is not well-understood. Here, we found that SOX12 mRNA expression was up-regulated in human breast cancer tissues. To clarify the roles of SOX12 in breast cancer, we used lentiviral shRNAs to suppress its expression in two breast cancer cells with relatively higher expression of SOX12 (BT474 and MCF-7). Our findings strongly suggested that SOX12 was critical for cell migration and invasion of breast cancer cells. We found that silencing of SOX12 significantly decreased the mRNA and protein levels of MMP9 and Twist, while notably increased E-cadherin. Moreover, SOX12 knockdown significantly inhibited the proliferation of breast cancer cells in vitro and the growth of xenograft tumours in vivo. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that breast cancer cells with SOX12 knockdown showed cell cycle arrest and decreased mRNA and protein levels of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), CDK2 and Cyclin D1. Taken together, SOX12 plays an important role in growth inhibition through cell-cycle arrest, as well as migration and invasion of breast cancer cells.