Overexpression of neogenin inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in human MDA-MB-231 breast carcinoma cells

Neogenin has been documented as playing an important role in cancer development. Although an elevated expression of neogenin has been detected in human breast cancer, the role of neogenin in breast cancer cells is not clearly understood. In the present study, we investigated neogenin in breast cancer cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis. We found that neogenin overexpression markedly reduced the proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells (P<0.05). Neogenin overexpression resulted in a reduction in the apoptosis rate. Inhibition of neogenin expression by neogenin siRNA dramatically promoted the proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells, whereas it inhibited cell apoptosis. Furthermore, we found that BMP-2-induced phosphorylation of Smad1/5/8 which was inhibited by neogenin overexpression. The present study demonstrates that neogenin may be a tumor suppressor in breast cancer. Neogenin may serve as a potential diagnostic marker and therapeutic target for breast cancer.