Scientific article
English

Syndecan-2 positively regulates Wnt/β-catenin signaling in breast cancer cells

Publication date2025-11
First online date2025-08-25
Abstract

Syndecans are a family of four-member transmembrane heparan sulfate proteoglycans that bind to various extracellular biomolecules, such as Wnt ligands, via their heparan sulfate chains, thereby controlling a variety of cellular processes. When dysregulated, syndecans can affect tumorigenesis and cancer progression by modulating key signaling pathways involved in the regulation of biological functions. Aberrant activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling is a hallmark of many human tumors, including breast cancer. Studying the interplay between syndecans and Wnt signaling in human cancers is beneficial for identifying new therapeutic strategies, understanding tumor behavior and improving patient outcomes. Syndecan-2 is predominantly expressed by mesenchymal cells, and its overexpression in tumors of epithelial origin appears to induce aggressive behavior. Here, by measuring β-catenin cytoplasmic stabilization and transcriptional activity, we show that syndecan-2 expression significantly enhances the sensitivity of HEK293T cells and BT-20 triple-negative breast cancer cells to Wnt3a-induced activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling. In addition, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated deletion of SDC2, the gene encoding syndecan-2, reduced β-catenin transcriptional activity in BT-20 cells in response to Wnt3a stimulation. This reduction was rescued by the re-expression of SDC2. Collectively, our results demonstrate that syndecan-2 is a positive regulator of canonical Wnt signaling. These results also suggest that syndecan-2 is a potential clinical target for inhibiting the progression of some human cancers.

Keywords
  • BT-20
  • CRISPR-Cas9
  • Heparan sulfate proteoglycan
  • Syndecan-2
  • Triple-negative breast cancer
  • Wnt/β-catenin signaling
  • Humans
  • Syndecan-2 / metabolism
  • Syndecan-2 / genetics
  • Wnt Signaling Pathway
  • Female
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Beta Catenin / metabolism
  • Beta Catenin / genetics
  • Breast Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Breast Neoplasms / pathology
  • Breast Neoplasms / genetics
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Wnt3A Protein / metabolism
Citation (ISO format)
NARAGHI, Leyli et al. Syndecan-2 positively regulates Wnt/β-catenin signaling in breast cancer cells. In: International journal of biochemistry & cell biology, 2025, vol. 188, p. 106853. doi: 10.1016/j.biocel.2025.106853
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Identifiers
Journal ISSN1357-2725
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Creation19/09/2025 13:39:50
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