The role and mechanism of capping actin protein of muscle Z-line alpha subunit 1 in invasion and metastasis of human pancreatic cancer

Abstract

Objective To observe the expression of capping actin protein of muscle Z-line alpha subunit 1 (CAPZA1) in pancreatic cancer and its relationship with prognosis, and explore the role and mechanism of CAPZA1 in regulating the invasion and metastasis of pancreatic cancer cells. Methods Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of CAPZA1 and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers in pancreatic cancer tissues. The statistical analysis was made on the prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer. Western blotting and real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) were used to detect the expression of CAPZA1 and EMT markers in pancreatic cancer cells. Transwell, and cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) were used to detect migration, invasion and proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells. Results The expression of CAPZA1 was negatively correlated with the biological characteristics of pancreatic cancer cells and the prognosis of patients. The expression of CAPZA1 was negatively correlated with the invasion and metastasis potentials of pancreatic cancer cells. Inhibition of CAPZA1 expression could promote the invasion and metastasis of pancreatic cancer cells (192.0±13.8 vs. 153.0±17.1, P=0.004), while over-expression of CAPZA1 could inhibit the invasion and metastasis of pancreatic cancer cells (107.0±18.5 vs. 153.0±17.1, P=0.004). The expression of CAPZA1 was correlated with the expression of EMT markers E-cadherin (0.76±0.09 vs. 0.57±0.14, P=0.034), N-cadherin (0.53±0.12 vs. 0.74±0.10, P=0.017) and Vimentin (0.56±0.20 vs. 0.93±0.19, P=0.017). Conclusion CAPZA1 can inhibit the EMT of pancreatic cancer cells and reduce the invasion ability of them0 by regulating the assembly of cell skeleton. Key words: Pancreatic cancer; Capping actin protein of muscle Z-line alpha subunit 1; Cell skeleton; Invasion; Epithelial-mesenchymal transition