Elucidation of caveolin 1 both as a tumor suppressor and metastasis promoter in light of epigenetic modulators

Caveolin-1 (CAV1) is an integral part of plasma membrane protein playing a vital role in breast cancer initiation and progression. CAV1 acts both as a tumor suppressor as well as an oncogene, and its activity is thus highly dependent on cellular environment. Keeping this fact in mind, the recent work is designed to reveal the role of CAV1 in inhibiting cancer cell progression in presence of epigenetic modulators like 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (AZA), trichostatin A (TSA), S-adenosyl methionine (SAM) and sulforaphane (SFN). Forced expression of CAV1 by AZA, TSA, and SFN is correlated to induction of apoptosis and inhibition of cell migration in breast cancer. In breast cancer along with promoter DNA methylation, other epigenetic mechanisms are also involved in CAV1 expression. These observations clearly provide a new scenario regarding the role of CAV1 in cancer and as a possible therapeutic target in breast cancer.