Mortalin promotes breast cancer malignancy.

Mortalin is a member of the heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) family that promotes the development of many cancers. It is reportedly a tumor promoter, but the mechanism of Mortalin in breast cancer is unclear. We designed a series of experiments to explore the correlation between Mortalin and the malignancy of breast cancer, and to assess the potential of Mortalin as a novel therapeutic target in breast cancer. The expression level of Mortalin in breast cancer tissues was detected. Then, we did a series of functional experiment. The findings indicated that Mortalin facilitates the proliferation, metastasis, and endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process of breast cancer. In our research, Mortalin is regulated EMT process and malignant progression of breast cancer through Wnt/β-Catenin signaling pathway. The findings imply that Mortalin significantly promotes the progression of breast cancer malignancy and reduces patient survival, suggesting that Mortalin as a biomarker and prognostic factor in breast cancer.