Stimulation of breast cancer invasion and metastasis by synuclein gamma

We recently identified and cloned novel breast cancer-specific gene BCSG1 b y direct differential cDNA sequencing. BCSG1 has a great sequence homology with the Alzheimer's disease-related neural protein synuclein (SNC); thus, it was also named SNC-gamma, Overexpression of SNC-gamma in breast cancer c ells leads to a significant increase in motility and invasiveness in vitro and a profound augmentation of metastasis in vivo. Our data suggest that th is member of the neural protein SNCs might have important functions outside the central nervous system and may play a role in breast cancer progressio n.