Objectives: Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) is a fundamental stage in cancer metastasis and the presence of vascular invasion is a strong indication of the spread of the malignant tumor cells. Regulation of the EMT is a complex process in which several different transcription factors are involved. Eomesodermin (Eomes) as a member of the T-box gene family is an important component in the induction of germ-line layer during gastrulation. However, its role in cancer is not well understood. Thereby, in this project we aimed to assess the Eomes gene expression in tumor tissues and to find out its possible relevance with vascular invasion.
Materials and Methods: Seventy one breast cancer tumors were obtained from tumor bank of Cancer Institute, Imam Khomeini Hospital. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was done to evaluate Eomes gene expression at RNA level.
Results: Our results have shown that Eomes has been remarkably expressed in the majority of the tumor samples. High level of expression of Eomes was concomitant with the presence of vascular invasion in 72% of samples, however no significant association was found. To the best of our knowledge this is for the first time that Eomes expression has been reported in breast cancer tumors. Conclusions: This important finding suggests that Eomes has the potential to be used as a biomarker in breast cancer.