Bex2 is critical for migration and invasion in malignant glioma cells.

Glioblastoma is a kind of highly aggressive and incurable tumor with an average survival time of 12 months in our currently available treatment. The invasive cells are the sources of tumor recurrence and mechanisms of invasion are largely unknown. Identification of candidate genes important for invasion and migration is a hot spot of cancer biology. As one member of Bex protein family, Bex2 has its functions in the development of the nervous system and neurological diseases. Bex2 plays great roles in breast cancer, but its function and mechanisms in glioma progression remain unclear. In this study, we found Bex2 overexpression promoted cell migration and invasion, while Bex2 downregulation inhibited them. Meanwhile, we observed that Bex2 downregulation increased N-cadherin but decreased the excretion of MMP-2. Taken together, these data suggested that Bex2 promoted the progression of glioma by promoting cell migration and invasion, and these effects might be mediated by N-cadherin and MMP-2.