CNOT2 promotes proliferation and angiogenesis via VEGF signaling in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells

Here the underlying role of CNOT2, a subunit of CCR4-NOT complex, was elucidated in cancer progression. CNOT2 was overexpressed in HIT-T15, ASPC-1, BXPC-3, PC-3, LNCaP, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines, which was confirmed by Tissue array in various human tumor tissues. Also, CNOT2 depletion suppressed proliferation and colony formation of MDA-MB-231 cells. Of note, microarray revealed decreased expression of CNOT2, VEGF-A, HIF2 alpha (<0.5 fold) and increased expression of UMOD1, LOC727847, MMP4, hCG and other genes (>2.0 fold) in CNOT2 depleted MDA-MB-231 cells compared to untreated control. Consistently, downregulation of VEGF, CNOT2 and HIF2 alpha was verified in CNOT2 depleted MDA-MB-231 cells by RT-qPCR. Additionally, CNOT2 depletion inhibited VEGF induced tube formation in HUVECs and reduced neovascularization in CAM assay. Furthermore, the growth of CNOT2 depleted MDA-MB-231 cells was significantly reduced in Balb/c nude mice along with decreased expression of VEGF and PCNA by immunohistochemistry compared to untreated control group. Overall, our findings provide evidences that CNOT2 promotes proliferation and angiogenesis via VEGF signaling in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells as a potent molecular target for breast cancer treatment.