Objective  To investigate the expression of histone demethylase JMJD3 and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) related proteins in breast cancer and their correlation.

Methods  Immunohistochemical SP method was used to detect the expression of JMJD3 and EMT-related proteins E-cadherin, Vimentin and N-cadherin in 120 cases of breast cancer and adjacent tissues. The correlation of JMJD3, EMT-related proteins with clinicopathological characteristics of breast cancer patients was analyzed.

Results  The positive rates of JMJD3 and E-cadherin in breast cancer tissues (56.67% and 65.00%) were significantly lower than those in adjacent tissues (73.33% and 83.33%) (P < 0.05). The positive rates of Vimentin and N-cadherin in breast cancer tissues (54.17% and 58.33%) were significantly higher than those in adjacent tissues (23.33% and 20.83%) (P < 0.05). The expression of JMJD3, E-cadherin Vimentin and N-cadherin were correlated with histological classification, TNM stage and lymph node metastasis of breast cancer. JMJD3 was correlated with tumor diameter (P < 0.05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that JMJD3 expression was positively correlated with E-cadherin expression in breast cancer (r=0.204, P=0.025), while JMJD3 was negatively correlated with Vimentin and N-cadherin expression (r=-0.467, r=-0.500, P=0.000).

Conclusion  JMJD3 may regulate the invasion and metastasis of breast cancer through regulating EMT.