Knockdown of hypoxia inducible factor-2α inhibits cell invasion via the downregulation of MMP-2 expression in breast cancer cells

Abstract

Hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs) are important regulatory molecules of the intracellular oxygen‑signaling pathway. The role of HIF‑1α has been confirmed in breast carcinoma; however, little is understood concerning the function of HIF‑2α. The present study treated human breast adenocarcinoma MCF‑7 cells with the HIF activator cobalt chloride, and transfected HIF‑2α small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) into MCF‑7 cells to suppress HIF‑2α expression. The siRNAs significantly reduced the levels of HIF‑2α and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‑2 in the treated MCF‑7 cells. An invasion assay demonstrated that the siRNAs targeting HIF‑2α inhibited the invasion potency of the cells. The present study concludes that loss of HIF‑2α may be associated with a decreased risk for the progression of human breast cancer, due to the downregulation of the expression of MMP‑2.