Down-regulation of MUC1 in cancer cells inhibits cell migration by promoting E-cadherin/catenin complex formation.

MUC1, a tumor associated glycoprotein, is over-expressed in most cancers and can promote proliferation and metastasis. The objective of this research was to study the role of MUC1 in cancer metastasis and its potential mechanism. Pancreatic (PANC1) and breast (MCF-7) cancer cells with stable 'knockdown' of MUC1 expression were created using RNA interference.