Transcription profiling by array of MDA-MB-231 cells with HMGA2 knock-down

"We have reported that the nuclear protein high mobility group A2 (HMGA2), is required for the induction of EMT by TGF-beta (Thuault et al. J. Cell Biol. 2006). HMGA2 regulates a cohort of transcriptional regulators of the EMT process, such as Snail1 and Twist1 (Thuault et al. J. Biol. Chem. 2008, E-Jean Tan et al. J. Biol. Chem. 2012). Since HMGA2 is a chromatin-associated protein, we expect that it should regulate many genes in addition to the EMT-related factors. The aim of our study is to decipher novel molecular mechanisms that explain how EMT links to the process of tumor-initiating cell self-renewal via the chromatin factor HMGA2. In this experiment, we stably transfected human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells with shRNA against HMGA2 and investigated effects of the knock-down on global gene expression using Affymetrix arrays, in order to identify novel downstream players involved in this network. In parallel experiments we also analyzed the phenotypic effects of the HMGA2 knock-down on MDA-MB-231 cell proliferation, survival and inavasiveness."