Belmont SURFS

Effect of Selinexor on EZH2 Localization in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells

Overexpression of enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) is often linked with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), a difficult type of cancer to treat due to hormone-dependent drugs having no effect on them. This leaves few treatments available for TNBC patients. Selinexor is a possible treatment for TNBC due to its ability to inhibit XPO1, a nuclear exporter that is overexpressed in cancer cells and causes cell death via apoptosis. The goal of this project was to target EZH2 expression in TNBC cells and assess if selinexor regulates EZH2 subcellular localization. BT549 and HCC1143 triple negative breast cancer cell lines were immunostained to determine EZH2 localization. Results indicate that selinexor had no effect in HCC1143 cells but BT549 cells demonstrated more cytoplasmic localization of EZH2. Further studies are needed to determine the mechanism of this effect.