Upregulation of GRIM19 inhibits the growth and invasion of human breast cancer cells

Gene associated with retinoidinterferon (IFN)induced mortality 19 (GRIM19), a novel IFNβ/retinoic acidinducible gene product, has been identified as a potential tumor suppressor, which is associated with the inhibition of tumor growth. GRIM19 has been demonstrated to be downregulated in the ovarian tissue of patients with breast cancer, however, its role in breast cancer remains to be fully elucidated. In the present study, a recombinant eukaryotic expression plasmid carrying GRIM19 was constructed and then transfected into the MCF7 human breast cancer cell line to examine its effects on breast cancer cell growth, migration and invasion using several in vitro approaches. The results demonstrated that upregulation GRIM19 in the MCF7 cells significantly inhibited cell proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion, and induced cell apoptosis. Additionally, upregulation of GRIM19 also suppressed the secretion of urokinasetype plasminogen activator (uPA), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)2, MMP9 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). It was also demonstrated that the activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) was downregulated by the expression of GRIM19. These results revealed that overexpression of the GRIM19 gene may be an effective approach to control the growth and invasion of human breast cancer cells.