{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,12]],"date-time":"2026-06-12T05:59:26Z","timestamp":1781243966702,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,12]],"date-time":"2026-06-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1781222400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Genome Ed."],"abstract":"\n Background<\/jats:title>\n Spalt-like transcription factor 2 (SALL2) has emerged as a potential tumor suppressor in various malignancies; however, its role in breast cancer remains underexplored. This study examines the effect of SALL2 overexpression on breast carcinogenesis, with a particular focus on the induction of apoptosis and inhibition of cell migration and invasion, using breast cancer receptor-positive and receptor-negative cell lines.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n \n Breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) were transiently transfected with a\n SALL2<\/jats:italic>\n expression vector, and successful transfection was confirmed by real-time PCR and Western blot analysis. Functional assays performed included proliferation (MTT assay), wound healing, invasion (transwell Matrigel assay), apoptosis (flow cytometry), and assessment of mRNA expression levels of\n CDKN1A<\/jats:italic>\n (p21),\n p16<\/jats:italic>\n ,\n PMAIP1<\/jats:italic>\n (NOXA),\n BAX<\/jats:italic>\n , and\n MMP9<\/jats:italic>\n using quantitative real-time PCR.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n We demonstrated that the transient upregulation of\n SALL2<\/jats:italic>\n expression markedly inhibited cell migration and invasion, processes central to tumor metastasis. This effect was accompanied by a reduction in\n MMP9<\/jats:italic>\n , a key enzyme associated with extracellular matrix degradation and metastatic potential. Furthermore, upregulated\n SALL2<\/jats:italic>\n expression significantly promoted apoptosis, as evidenced by the upregulation of pro-apoptotic genes including\n PMAIP1<\/jats:italic>\n (NOXA),\n BAX<\/jats:italic>\n ,\n CDKN1A<\/jats:italic>\n (p21), and\n p16<\/jats:italic>\n . These changes suggest that SALL2 not only impedes metastatic capacity but also enhances apoptotic signaling pathways in breast cancer cells. Importantly, the tumor-suppressive nature of SALL2 was consistent in both types of breast cancer cell lines, underscoring its broad therapeutic relevance across different breast cancer subtypes.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n \n Our findings indicate that\n SALL2<\/jats:italic>\n expression inhibits cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, while inducing apoptosis in breast cancer. These findings suggest that\n SALL2<\/jats:italic>\n may be a critical regulator of breast carcinogenesis and a potential target for therapeutics controlling tumor progression, invasion, and metastasis.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fgeed.2026.1788913","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,12]],"date-time":"2026-06-12T05:45:06Z","timestamp":1781243106000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Spalt-like transcription factor-2 (SALL2) suppresses breast carcinogenesis by inducing apoptosis and inhibiting cell migration and invasion"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"8","author":[{"given":"Sandeep","family":"Sisodiya","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Cellular and Molecular Diagnostics (Molecular Biology Group), National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (ICMR)","place":["Noida, India"]},{"name":"Symbiosis School of Biological Sciences (SSBS), Symbiosis International (Deemed University) (SIU)","place":["Pune, India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Payal","family":"Singh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cellular and Molecular Diagnostics (Molecular Biology Group), National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (ICMR)","place":["Noida, India"]},{"name":"Department of Biosciences, Jamia Millia Islamia","place":["New Delhi, India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Suryanshi","family":"Gupta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cellular and Molecular Diagnostics (Molecular Biology Group), National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (ICMR)","place":["Noida, India"]},{"name":"Faculty of Applied Biosciences and Biotechnology, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences","place":["Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Manvi","family":"Naugain","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cellular and Molecular Diagnostics (Molecular Biology Group), National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (ICMR)","place":["Noida, India"]},{"name":"Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR)","place":["Ghaziabad, India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jyoti","family":"Rani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cellular and Molecular Diagnostics (Molecular Biology Group), National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (ICMR)","place":["Noida, India"]},{"name":"Department of Zoology, Meerut College, C.C.S. 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