Abstract

 
 
 
 Purpose: To investigate the expression of rhotekin 2 (RTKN2) in human endometrial carcinoma tissues and its role in cancer progression.
 Methods: Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and immunoblot assays were performed to determine the expression of RTKN2 in endometrial carcinoma tissues and cells. The effects of RTKN2 on cell proliferation were assessed using cell counting kit-8 and EdU assays, while its effects on cell cycle and apoptosis in endometrial carcinoma cells were evaluated by flow cytometry. The involvement of RTKN2 in activating Akt/glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK3β) pathway was characterized using an immunoblot assay. Tumor growth assays were performed to assess the effects of RTKN2 on the progression of endometrial carcinoma in vivo, while protein expression in tumor tissues was determined by an immunohistochemical assay.
 Results: High expression of RTKN2 was found in human endometrial carcinoma tissues and cell lines (p < 0.05). RTKN2 promoted the proliferation and cell cycle of endometrial carcinoma cells in vitro and suppressed apoptosis (p < 0.05). RTKN2 also activated Akt/GSK3β pathway in endometrial carcinoma cells and thus promoted tumor growth in vivo.
 Conclusion: The involvement of RTKN2 in the progression of endometrial carcinoma has been confirmed in this study. RTKN2 is thus a promising therapeutic target for patients with this disease.
 
 
 
Highlights
Endometrial carcinoma (EC) is an epithelial malignancy [1]
Rhotekin 2 (RTKN2) is highly expressed in human EC tissues and cell lines
Quantitative PCR assays were performed to measure the levels of RTKN2 mRNA in human EC tissues and adjacent normal tissues that were collected when patients were hospitalized
Summary
Endometrial carcinoma (EC) is an epithelial malignancy [1]. With recent improvements in living standards, the rate of obesity in women continues to increase, resulting in an increase in the incidence of EC. In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), high expression levels of RTKN2 were shown to increase the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), promoting HCC [8]. The expression of RTKN2 in human EC tissues and cell lines was assessed. The effects of RTKN2 on the proliferation and apoptosis of EC cells and the regulatory mechanism involved were further investigated. Anti-RTKN2 antibody [1:200 for immunohistochemistry (IHC), 1:1,000 for immunoblot analyses, ab183505, abcam], anti-. The expression levels of proteins in tumor tissues were determined using IHC assays. Cells were resuspended in PBS, incubated with annexin V-FITC and PI for 10 min, and subsequently analyzed using flow cytometry. To measure tumor growth capacity in vivo, HEC1B cells were stably transfected with RTKN2 shRNA plasmids and injected into mice. The Student’s t test was used for data comparison in this study, and P values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
