RESUMO
Although Microrchidia 2 (MORC2) is overexpressed in many types of human cancer, its role in breast cancer progression remains unknown. Here, we report that the chromatin remodeler MORC2 expression positively correlates with ß-catenin expression in breast cancer cell lines and patients. Overexpression of MORC2 augmented the expression of ß-catenin and its target genes, cyclin D1 and c-Myc. Consistent with these results, we found MORC2 knockdown resulted in decreased expression of ß-catenin and its target genes. Surprisingly, we observed that c-Myc, the target gene of ß-catenin, regulated the MORC2-ß-catenin signaling axis through a feedback mechanism. We demonstrated that MORC2 regulates ß-catenin expression and function by modulating the phosphorylation of AKT. In addition, we observed reduced proliferation and migration of MORC2 overexpressing breast cancer cells upon ß-catenin inhibition. Overall, our results demonstrate that MORC2 promotes breast cancer cell proliferation and migration by regulating ß-catenin signaling.
