BACKGROUND: Previous research found that ALG3 is associated with cervical cancer, but the role of ALG3 in breast cancer was still unknown.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: The expression of ALG3 in breast carcinoma tissues was determined by immunochemistry. The ability of cellular proliferation, migration, and invasion was determined by CCK-8 assay, wound healing migration assay, and cell invasion assays, respectively. The binding between HSF2 and promoter of ALG3 was determined by ChIP assay.

RESULTS: There was an increased expression of ALG3 in breast cancer tissues compared to normal breast tissues (p<0.05). High expression of ALG3 was significantly correlated with poor OS (p<0.05). ALG3 expression was significantly increased in cancer samples with advanced stages (stage III/IV) compared with those in the early stages of disease (stage I/II) (p<0.05). The staining intensity of ALG3 was significantly correlated to the tumor grade (grades 2–3 versus 1, p<0.05). Silencing ALG3 or HSF2 inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities of MCF-7 cells. Silencing ALG3 retarded the growth of MCF-7 cells in vivo.

CONCLUSIONS: Silencing ALG3 inhibited MCF-7 cells growth in vitro and in vivo. HSF2 activated ALG3 and promoted the growth of breast carcinoma.

Keywords: Early Detection of Cancer