Synuclein-γ promotes migration of MCF7 breast cancer cells by activating extracellular-signal regulated kinase pathway and breaking cell-cell junctions

Synuclein-γ (SNCG), a synuclein family member, promotes migration, invasion and metastasis of tumor cells; however, the mechanism remains unclear. The present study investigated the effect of SNCG on malignant phenotypes of MCF7 cells using cell proliferation analysis, cell migration assays and wound healing assays, and verified its effects on extracellularsignal regulated kinase (Erk) activation and epithelial to mesenchymal transitionrelated markers using western blotting. The results indicated that SNCG increased migration (P<0.05) but not proliferation (P=0.711) of MCF7 cells. It was also demonstrated that SNCG activated the Erk pathway and an inhibitor of Erk signaling significantly counteracted SNCGinduced migration. Furthermore, it was shown that SNCG downregulated levels of tight junctionsassociated factors Ecadherin and ZO1, while inhibiting the Erk pathway did not affect their levels. In conclusion, SNCG may promote MCF7 cell migration through activating the Erk pathway and breaking cell-cell junctions.