PKM2 upregulation promotes malignancy and indicates poor prognosis for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

Abstract

Although pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) has been shown to be among the crucial enzymes that regulate aerobic glycolysis in multiple tumour cells, its role in the treatment and prognosis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) remains unclear. This study primarily aimed to determine whether the expression status of PKM2 is potentially associated with the clinical outcomes of ICC. PKM2 expression was evaluated in ICC cell lines and tissues via real-time quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, immunofluorescence assays, and Western blot, and its prognostic value was determined according to its impact on the overall survival of patients. We found that PKM2 is highly expressed in ICC, and this was correlated with patient survival. Moreover, we found that PKM2 knockdown could considerably inhibit ICC cell proliferation, invasion, and migration in vitro. PKM2 was overexpressed in ICC, and it may regulate proliferation, invasion, and migration and lead to poor prognosis. Thus, PKM2 might be a potential independent prognostic factor for ICC.