Transcription factor Snail-1 induces osteosarcoma invasion and metastasis by inhibiting E-cadherin expression

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a type of primary malignant bone tumor with a high propensity for local recurrence and distant metastasis. A previous study showed Snail-1 is highly expressed in OS cells. The present study aimed to investigate the association between the transcription factor Snail and E-cadherin in OS. SaOS(2) OS cells were transfected either with a plasmid expressing short hairpin RNA (shRNA) specific for the Snail-1 gene (SaOS(2)-shRNA) or a negative control plasmid (SaOS(2)-Mock). The expression levels of E-cadherin and Snail-1 in the transfected and control cells were determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis. In addition, the study was extended to evaluate the migratory and invasive properties of the cells through a Transwell experiment. The results show that E-cadherin was expressed at a high level in the SaOS(2)-shRNA cells, which were much less migratory and invasive than the control cells. Overexpression of Snail-1 in OS is associated with tumor progression, possibly through the suppression of E-cadherin expression and induction of the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition, which contributes to the proceeding invasion and metastasis of OS cells.