Down-regulation of FXYD3 is induced by transforming growth factor-β signaling via ZEB1/δEF1 in human mammary epithelial cells.

FXYD3, a regulator of Na, K-ATPase, was identified as an mRNA overexpressed in murine breast cancers induced by neu oncogene, which had inactivated transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling due to the defect of TGF-β receptor I (TβRI) expression. To elucidate whether the expression of FXYD3 mRNA was regulated by TGF-β signaling, we used a normal human mammary epithelial cell line, MCF-10A which responds to TGF-β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, followed by induction of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Here, we showed that FXYD3 at plasma membrane in epithelial state of MCF-10A cells was decreased by treatment of TGF-β and TNF-α. The repression of FXYD3 mRNA induced by TGF-β and TNF-α in MCF-10A cells was abolished by TβRI inhibitor or Smad3 inhibitor, but not by small interfering RNA (siRNA) for Smad2. In addition, expression level of FXYD3 mRNA was up-regulated by the silencing of ZEB1/δEF1 transcriptional repressor which was a down-stream target gene of TGF-β and an inducer of EMT. On the other hand, expression level and cellular localization of E-cadherin and N-cadherin were not changed by siRNA for FXYD3 in MCF-10A and human breast cancer MCF-7 cells. These results suggest that FXYD3 is a target gene of TGF-β signaling through ZEB1/δEF1, but is not directly involved in EMT.