Zinc and its transporter ZIP6 are key mediators of breast cancer cell survival under high glucose conditions

Recent studies have shown that hyperglycaemia is related to breast cancer progression; however, the mechanisms underlying the relationship between hyperglycaemia and breast cancer cell survival remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that as compared to physiological glucose conditions, high glucose conditions promote a significant increase in MCF-7 cell survival under hypoxia. High glucose levels inhibit apoptosis and induce epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, resulting in increased cell viability under hypoxic conditions. Moreover, high glucose-treated cells display significant increases in intracellular Zn2+ levels and reduction in mRNA expression of the zinc (Zn) transporter Zrt- and Irt-like protein 6 (ZIP6) in hypoxia. ZIP6 deficiency disturbs intracellular Zn2+ homeostasis, leading to increased cell survival in hypoxia and reduced E-cadherin expression, indicating that decreased ZIP6 expression is strongly associated with resistance to hypoxia.