Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has a critical role in tumor progression and has been correlated with the basal-like subtype of human breast cancers. Here I report a novel β-catenin binding protein, which I have shown to be expressed in invasive breast cancer and hypothesized to have a role in breast tumor progression. In normal breast tissue, expression is restricted to the myoepithelium while in breast cancer the expression pattern is similar to smooth muscle actin and vimentin. I have demonstrated that silencing of this protein in breast tumor cells reduces migration by over 50 percent. Furthermore, I have identified this β-catenin binding protein as a target of the Snail EMT network and have demonstrated this protein to be a marker of basal-like carcinomas. These results define a role for this novel protein in EMT, as a marker for the basal subtype, and a promising therapeutic target for metastasis inhibition.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has a critical role in tumor progression and has been correlated with the basal-like subtype of human breast cancers. Here I report a novel β-catenin binding protein, which I have shown to be expressed in invasive breast cancer and hypothesized to have a role in breast tumor progression. In normal breast tissue, expression is restricted to the myoepithelium while in breast cancer the expression pattern is similar to smooth muscle actin and vimentin. I have demonstrated that silencing of this protein in breast tumor cells reduces migration by over 50 percent. Furthermore, I have identified this β-catenin binding protein as a target of the Snail EMT network and have demonstrated this protein to be a marker of basal-like carcinomas. These results define a role for this novel protein in EMT, as a marker for the basal subtype, and a promising therapeutic target for metastasis inhibition.