BAP31 Promotes Proliferation, Invasion, and Metastasis of Liver Cancer Cells via Activating PI3K/AKT Pathway

Abstract

Background. Many breakthroughs have been made in the clinical treatment of liver cancer, but there are still many liver cancer patients with limited treatment methods. Therefore, it is very important to find targets for early diagnosis and specific treatment of liver cancer. Methods. During the operation, 32 pairs of tumor tissues and corresponding normal liver tissues were acquired from patients. The mRNA expression was measured by qPCR. The protein expression was evaluated via Western blot. Flow cytometry assay was performed to measure the cells apoptosis. CCK-8 assay was performed to detect cell proliferation. Transwell chamber assay was applied to detect migration and invasion of SNU-449 cells. Results. BAP31 was upregulated in liver cancer tissues and cells. Knockdown of BAP31 repressed cell proliferation and enhanced cell apoptosis of liver cancer. Knockdown of BAP31 apparently upregulated apoptosis-related proteins (Bax and Caspase-3), while it downregulated antiapoptotic proteins (Bcl-2). Knockdown of BAP31 repressed migration and invasion of SNU-449 cells. In contrast with the control and si-NC group, protein expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 was obviously lower after si-BAP31 transfection of cells. Knockdown of BAP31 repressed PI3K/AKT signaling pathways in liver cancer cells. Conclusion. Knockdown of BAP31 repressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in liver cancer by suppressing PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathways.

Unveiling the Hub Genes Associated with Manganese-Induced Hepatotoxicity

“…In the present study, the DEGs in the livers between treated with and without MnCl 2 on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th day were involved in PI3K/Akt signaling pathway (Fig. 3A-C), which was consistent with previous studies [35][36][37][38]. For example, Sun et al (2022) reported that PI3K/Akt signaling pathway mediated liver steatosis and increased cell survival [35].…”

“…3A-C), which was consistent with previous studies [35][36][37][38]. For example, Sun et al (2022) reported that PI3K/Akt signaling pathway mediated liver steatosis and increased cell survival [35]. In addition, PI3K/Akt signaling pathway activation not only induced lipid metabolism disorder and insulin resistance [36], but also increased the hepatic glycogen content and was associated with glucose homeostasis [37].…”

Knockdown of BAP31 Overcomes Hepatocellular Carcinoma Doxorubicin Resistance through Downregulation of Survivin

“…BAP31 primarily resides in the endoplasmic reticulum, which functions as a chaperone for specific transmembrane proteins and as a regulator of apoptosis [17]. It has been reported that BAP31 can regulate the expression of specific anti-apoptotic or apoptotic factors, including Bcl-2 and Bax, in certain cell types [18,32]. In this study, we found that knockdown of BAP31 enhanced apoptosis and increased Dox-induced apoptosis in HCC cells.…”

“…BAP31 is emerging as an attractive therapeutic target for cancer. For example, Sun et al reported that BAP31 promotes proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of liver cancer cells [18]. Dang et al reported that BAP31 regulates proliferation, migration, and invasion to promote cervical cancer progression [17].…”

“…BAP31 could act as an oncogene in cancer cells, promoting survival and growth through a series of functions and predicting poor prognosis. Meanwhile, BAP31 involves various physiological and pathological processes such as immunity and carcinogenesis [18,19]. It is reported that BAP31 depletion inhibits cell invasion and migration by modulating cytoskeleton assemblage in cervical cancer [17].…”