Downregulation of PSAT1 inhibits cell proliferation and migration in uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma

Abstract

Phosphoserine aminotransferase 1 (PSAT1) has been associated with the occurrence and development of various carcinomas; however, its function in uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma (UCEC) is unknown. We aimed to explore the relationship between PSAT1 and UCEC using The Cancer Genome Atlas database and functional experiments. PSAT1 expression levels in UCEC were employed using the paired sample t-test, Wilcoxon rank-sum test, the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium database, and the Human Protein Atlas database, while survival curves were constructed using the Kaplan–Meier plotter. We performed Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis to explore the possible functions and related pathways of PSAT1. Furthermore, single-sample gene set enrichment analysis was performed to detect the relationship between PSAT1 and tumor immune infiltration. StarBase and quantitative PCR were used to predict and verify the interactions between miRNAs and PSAT1. The Cell Counting Kit-8, EdU assay, clone formation assay, western blotting and flow cytometry were used to evaluate cell proliferation. Finally, Transwell and Wound healing assays were used to assess cell invasion and migration. Our study found that PSAT1 was significantly overexpressed in UCEC, and this high expression was associated with a worse prognosis. A high level of PSAT1 expression was associated with a late clinical stage and, histological type. In addition, the results of GO and KEGG enrichment analysis showed that PSAT1 was mainly involved in the regulation of cell growth, immune system and cell cycle in UCEC. In addition, PSAT1 expression was positively correlated with Th2 cells and negatively correlated with Th17 cells. Furthermore, we also found that miR-195-5P negatively regulated the expression of PSAT1 in UCEC. Finally, the knockdown of PSAT1 resulted in the inhibition of cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro. Overall, PSAT1 was identified as a potential target for the diagnosis and immunotherapy of UCEC.