EHMT2 is a metastasis regulator in breast cancer

Highlights: • EHMT2 (a histone methyltransferase) was determined to be significantly overexpressed in breast cancer tissues. • Knockdown of EHMT2 reduced cell migration/invasion and regulated the expression of EMT-related markers. • EHMT2 regulated EMT markers via up-regulation of MSK1-SNAIL1. Various modes of epigenetic regulation of breast cancer proliferation and metastasis have been investigated, but epigenetic mechanisms involved in breast cancer metastasis remain elusive. Thus, in this study, EHMT2 (a histone methyltransferase) was determined to be significantly overexpressed in breast cancer tissues and in Oncomine data. In addition, knockdown of EHMT2 reduced cell migration/invasion and regulated the expression of EMT-related markers (E-cadherin, Claudin 1, and Vimentin). Furthermore, treatment with BIX-01294, a specific inhibitor of EHMT2, affected migration/invasion in MDA-MB-231 cells. Therefore, our findings demonstrate functions of EHMT2 in breast cancer metastasis and suggest that targeting EHMT2 may be an effective therapeutic strategy for preventing breast cancer metastasis.