Brachyury promotes proliferation and migration of colorectal cancer cells by targeting MMP14.

Background: The incidence and mortality rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) are rising, and it is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Although the transcription factor, Brachyury is intricately linked with various clinical malignancies, the mechanisms by which it influences CRC cell proliferation and migration are inadequately understood.

Methods: Tissue microarray was used to evaluate Brachyury expression in CRC and adjacent normal tissues. The effects of Brachyury on HCT116 and SW480 CRC cells were also examined in vitro, including using Cell Counting Kit-8, colony formation, and transwell assays, and in vivo through subcutaneous tumorigenesis assays in a nude mouse xenograft model. Chromatin immunoprecipitation was used to evaluate Brachyury binding to the MMP14 promoter and its impact on MMP14 expression. Rescue experiments were used to elucidate MMP14's role in mediating Brachyury's effect on CRC cell behavior.

Results: Brachyury expression was significantly higher in CRC tissues than in adjacent normal tissues, and it promotes CRC oncogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Rescue experiments established MMP14 as a direct, downstream Brachyury target, affirming that MMP14 enhanced Brachyury-driven CRC cell proliferation.

Conclusion: Our findings highlight targeting the Brachyury-MMP14 axis as a potential novel approach for CRC clinical therapy.