Efficient downregulation of ErbB-2 induces TACC1 upregulation in breast cancer cell lines.

The ErbB-2 gene, whose overexpression is observed in many types of tumors including breast cancer, plays an important role in carcinoma formation. Dysregulation of the human transforming acidic coiled-coil 1 (TACC1) and ErbB-2 genes is thought to be important in the development and progression of breast cancer. However, a putative interaction between ErbB-2 and TACC1 remains undetermined in breast cancer. After infecting BT474 cells with lentiviral-mediated ErbB2-specific shRNA, we detected the expression of ErbB-2 and TACC1 by real-time PCR and western blotting. ErbB-2 mRNA expression was decreased in the Lenti-ShERBB2 infected cells, and western blotting indicated a concordant reduction in ErbB-2 protein. TACC1 expression at the mRNA and protein levels was significantly upregulated by ErbB-2 silencing in BT474 cells. CCK-8 assay indicated that the inhibition of ErbB-2 expression increased the sensitivity of BT474 cells to docetaxel treatment. These findings provide proof and the foundation for the molecular and biological relationships of ErbB-2 and TACC1 in breast cancer.