The activation of the Wnt/β-
catenin signaling pathway has been demonstrated to play important roles in breast
carcinogenesis and to be associated with a poorer prognosis in
breast cancer patients. However, genetic mutation is not the major reason for Wnt/β-
catenin activation in
breast cancer. Dishevelled-associated antagonist of β-
catenin homolog 2 (DACT2) is a negative regulator of β-
catenin and acts as a
tumor suppressor in numerous
cancer types; however, the expression change and potential role of DACT2 in
breast cancer is unknown. The present study detected the expression and function of DACT2 in
breast cancer progression. It was identified that the expression of DACT2 significantly decreased in
breast cancer tissues compared with paired adjacent normal breast tissues. Additional investigation demonstrated that the hypermethylation of DACT2 gene promoter contributes to the loss of the gene in
breast cancer. It was also demonstrated that DACT2 is a
tumor suppressor in
breast cancer and inhibits the proliferation and invasion of
breast cancer cells by repressing the expression of β-
catenin target genes associated with
tumor growth and
metastasis. The present study indicates that the loss of DACT2 may contribute to
breast cancer progression and provides a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of
breast cancer.