Downregulation of RAI14 inhibits the proliferation and invasion of breast cancer cells

Retinoic acid-induced 14 (RAI14) is involved in the development of different tumor types, however, its expression and biological function in breast cancer are yet unknown. In the current study, we demonstrated that RAI14 was highly expressed in breast cancer. The high expression of RAI14 is positively correlated with the malignant progression of breast cancer and suggests a worse prognosis. Further, we found that knockdown RAI14 inhibits the proliferation, migration and invasion of breast cancer cells by regulating cell cycle and EMT through Akt/Cyclin D1, MMP2, MMP9 and ZEB1/E-cadhrin/Vimentin pathway. These findings revealed a novel function for RAI14 in breast cancer progression and suggest that RAI14 may become a promising diagnostic and therapeutic target for breast cancer.