Abstract
ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to investigate the biological functions and the underlying mechanisms of DNA polymerase epsilon subunit 2 (POLE2) in renal cell carcinoma (RCC).MethodsThe datasets of POLE2 expression in The Cancer Genome Atlas Kidney Clear Cell Carcinoma (TCGA-KIRC) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) databases was selected and the correlation between POLE2 and various clinicopathological parameters was analyzed. The POLE2 expression in RCC tissues was examined by immunohistochemistry. The POLE2 knockdown cell lines were constructed. In vitro and in vivo experiments were carried out to investigate the function of POLE2 on cellular biology of RCC, including cell viability assay, clone formation assay, flow cytometry, wound-healing assay, Transwell assay, qRT-PCR, Western blot, etc. Besides, microarray, co-immunoprecipitation, rescue experiment, and Western blot were used to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the functions of POLE2.ResultsPOLE2 was overexpressed in RCC tissues, and high expression of POLE2 was correlated with poor prognosis of RCC. Furthermore, knockdown of POLE2 significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and facilitated apoptosis in vitro. In vivo experiments revealed that POLE2 attenuated RCC tumorigenesis and tumor growth. we also illuminated that stanniocalcin 1 (STC1) was a downstream gene of POLE2, which promoted the occurrence and development of RCC. Besides, knockdown of POLE2 significantly upregulated the expression levels of Bad and p21 while the expression levels of HSP70, IGF-I, IGF-II, survivin, and sTNF-R1 were significantly downregulated. Western blot analysis also showed that knockdown of POLE2 inhibited the expression levels of Cancer-related pathway proteins including p-Akt, CCND1, MAPK9, and PIK3CA.ConclusionKnockdown of POLE2 attenuates RCC cells proliferation and migration by regulating STC1, suggesting that POLE2-STC1 may become a potential target for RCC therapy.
Highlights
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors of the urinary system, with a higher morbidity and mortality, second only to bladder cancer in urinary system tumors (Chen et al, 2016; Bray et al, 2018)
polymerase epsilon subunit 2 (POLE2) was overexpressed in RCC tissues, and high expression of POLE2 was correlated with poor prognosis of RCC
In vivo experiments revealed that POLE2 attenuated RCC tumorigenesis and tumor growth. we illuminated that stanniocalcin 1 (STC1) was a downstream gene of POLE2, which promoted the occurrence and development of RCC
Summary
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors of the urinary system, with a higher morbidity and mortality, second only to bladder cancer in urinary system tumors (Chen et al, 2016; Bray et al, 2018). Radical nephrectomy is an effective method for the treatment of early and locally advanced RCC, about 30% of patients have metastases after surgery (Jiang et al, 2008). Patients with metastatic kidney cancer still have a poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Wu et al (2020) have found that high expression of POLE2 is a biomarker for poor prognosis in squamous cell lung cancer. In this study, we comprehensively investigated the POLE2 expression and its role and mechanism in RCC from the biological, cellular and animal levels, clarified that POLE2 was a tumor-promoting gene of RCC, and high POLE2 expression indicated poor prognosis
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