Whole genome expression microarray reveals novel roles for Kif4 in monocyte/macrophage cells

Aspirin Exerts Its Antitumor Effect in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma by Downregulating the Expression of ATAD2 and KIF4A

Objective

To investigate the expression of ATPase family AAA domain-containing protein 2 (ATAD2) and kinesin family member 4A (KIF4A) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) tissues and their association with clinicopathological features and to explore the role of ATAD2 in regulating KIF4A expression and biological functions in ESCC cells and the effect of aspirin on their expression.

Methods

The mRNA and protein expression of ATAD2 and KIF4A in the tissues of patients with ESCC were measured by RT-qPCR and immunohistochemistry, and the correlation between the expression of mRNA and clinicopathological characteristics was analyzed. Western blot and RT-qPCR were used to detect the interference efficiency and KIF4A expression after si-ATAD2 transfection in EC109 and KYSE30 cells. CCK-8 and Transwell assay were performed to investigate the effects of ATAD2 and aspirin on proliferation, migration, and invasion of ESCC cells. The effect of aspirin on the expression of ATAD2 and KIF4A in ESCC cells was measured by RT-qPCR and Western blot.

Results

The expression of ATAD2 and KIF4A was upregulated in ESCC tissues, and both were correlated with the differentiation grades and lymph node metastasis. Knockdown of ATAD2 in ESCC cells significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Compared to the negative control group, the proliferation, migration, and invasion ability of ESCC cells in the aspirin-treated groups were decreased, and the expression of ATAD2 and KIF4A in ESCC cells was decreased after treating with aspirin for 48 h.

Conclusion

The expression levels of ATAD2 and KIF4A are elevated in ESCC. ATAD2 promotes proliferation, migration, and invasion of ESCC cells by regulating KIF4A. Aspirin can inhibit the malignant behavior of ESCC cells by downregulating ATAD2 and KIF4A.

KIF4A enhanced cell proliferation and migration via Hippo signaling and predicted a poor prognosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Background

In this study, we aimed to explore and clarify the function of KIF4A in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Methods

The microarray data were extracted from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. We then used the database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) to perform the gene ontology function (GO) and KEGG Orthology‐Based Annotation System (KOBAS) to perform Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The six core candidate genes were identified using protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analysis and Cytoscape software. Among them, the expression of KIF4A were validated by UALCAN database from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) (P < 0.05). Western blotting, qRT‐PCR and IHC were used to detect the expression of KIF4A in tissues. Cell experiments (transwell migration assays, wound healing assay, CCK8 assay, and clone formation experiment) were utilized to verify the roles of KIF4A on the ESCC cells. Western blotting was used to explore the mechanism of KIF4A in ESCC.

Results

The expression level of KIF4A was upregulated in ESCC samples compared to those in paracancerous tissues. Transwell migration and wound healing assay showed overexpression of KIF4A significantly promoted the migration of ESCC cells. CCK8 assay and clone formation experiment analysis showed that overexpression of KIF4A promoted proliferation of ESCC cells. Western blot detection found that KIF4A could affect the phosphorylation level of Hippo signaling pathway related proteins.

Conclusions

In summary, KIF4A promotes ESCC cell proliferation and migration by regulating the biological function of ESCC cells through the Hippo signaling pathway.

Key points

Significant findings of the study

We found that high KIF4A expression was associated with poor overall survival in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. KIF4A expression also promoted the proliferation and migration of ESCC cells in vitro.

What this study adds

Our experimental results explain the role of KIF4A in ESCC, and provide a new biomolecular target for the treatment of ESCC.