Stomatin-like protein-2 contributes the migration and invasion of breast cancer cells via regulating ERK/FOXO3a signaling pathway

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common tumor in women, and its incidence is increasing, ranking first among female malignant tumors. It is urgently needed to find new and reliable biomarkers of BC and to understand the cellular changes that cause metastasis. Stomatin-like protein-2 (SLP-2) is a member of the stomatin protein superfamily. Studies have shown that SLP-2 was highly expressed in some tumors and played an important role in tumor genesis and development. SLP-2 regulated the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway, and activation of ERK phosphorylated FOXO3a, which was involved in BC progression. However, its possible role in the progression of BC remains unclear. In this study, we found the high expression of SLP-2 in BC tissues and cells. SLP-2 promoted the viability of BC cells. In addition, we found that SLP-2 stimulated the motility of BC cells in vitro. Mechanically, our results revealed that SLP-2 could mediate FOXO3a expression and ERK signaling pathway, thereby contributing to the viability and motility of BC cells. Therefore, SLP-2 has the potential to serve as a promising target for BC treatment.