ZIP6 is associated with breast tumor grade, size, and stage, suggesting that it is a potent driving force toward malignancy; ZIP7 plays an important role in tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer cells, and ZIP10 is involved in invasion and metastasis of breast cancer cells.
ESCC tissues had increased levels of SLC39A6 mRNA compared with non-tumor tissues; the increase correlated with tumor metastasis to lymph node and reduced patient survival time.
Our results indicate a causative role for ZIP6 in cell motility and migration, providing ZIP6 as a new target for prediction of clinical cancer spread and also suggesting a ZIP6-dependent mechanism of tumour metastasis.
LIV-1 (ZIP6) was first described in 1988 as an estrogen regulated gene with later work suggesting a role for this transporter in cancer growth and metastasis.
Despite the implication of LIV-1 in cancer growth and metastasis, there has been no study to determine the role of LIV-1 in prostate cancer progression.
Combining the crucial role that zinc plays in cell growth and the proven role of metalloproteases in metastasis presents an exciting indication of how LIV-1 plays a role in breast cancer progression.