%0 Journal Article %T MICAL-L2, as an estrogen-responsive gene, is involved in ER-positive breast cancer cell progression and tamoxifen sensitivity via the AKT/mTOR pathway. %A Wen P %A Li J %A Wen Z %A Guo X %A Ma G %A Hu S %A Xu J %A Zhao H %A Li R %A Liu Y %A Wang Y %A Gao J %J Biochem Pharmacol %V 225 %N 0 %D 2024 Jul 9 %M 38729448 %F 6.1 %R 10.1016/j.bcp.2024.116256 %X Endocrine treatment, particularly tamoxifen, has shown significant improvement in the prognosis of patients with estrogen receptor-positive (ER-positive) breast cancer. However, the clinical utility of this treatment is often hindered by the development of endocrine resistance. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanisms driving ER-positive breast cancer carcinogenesis and endocrine resistance is crucial to overcome this clinical challenge. In this study, we investigated the expression of MICAL-L2 in ER-positive breast cancer and its impact on patient prognosis. We observed a significant upregulation of MICAL-L2 expression in ER-positive breast cancer, which correlated with a poorer prognosis in these patients. Furthermore, we found that estrogen-ERĪ² signaling promoted the expression of MICAL-L2. Functionally, our study demonstrated that MICAL-L2 not only played an oncogenic role in ER-positive breast cancer tumorigenesis but also influenced the sensitivity of ER-positive breast cancer cells to tamoxifen. Mechanistically, as an estrogen-responsive gene, MICAL-L2 facilitated the activation of the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in ER-positive breast cancer cells. Collectively, our findings suggest that MICAL-L2 could serve as a potential prognostic marker for ER-positive breast cancer and represent a promising molecular target for improving endocrine treatment and developing therapeutic approaches for this subtype of breast cancer.