OCT4 regulates epithelial-mesenchymal transition and its knockdown inhibits             colorectal cancer cell migration and invasion.
Octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (OCT4) has been implicated in cancer             metastasis. In this study, we investigated whether OCT4 promotes colorectal cancer             (CRC) metastasis through the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process.             We designed our experiment as a loss-of-function study. Western blot analysis             was used to measure the extent and stability of OCT4 knockdown. We evaluated the             metastatic phenotype of OCT4-silenced SW620 cells using standard migration and             invasion assays in vitro and the commonly used mouse model for experimental metastases             in vivo. We found that OCT4 knockdown inhibited colorectal cancer cell motility             and invasion (in vitro) and decreased hepatic colonization (in vivo). It also             induced changes in EMT characteristic cell morphology and marker gene expression.             In addition, its knockdown decreased WNT pathway activity. Finally, in human primary             colorectal cancers, the frequency of upregulated OCT4 expression in cases with             liver metastasis was statistically higher than that in cases without liver metastasis.             These results indicate that OCT4 may contribute to CRC cell metastasis through             EMT and serves as a promising biomarker for identifying CRC patients at high risk             for liver metastases.
Liver Transplantation Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Key Laboratory of Living Donor Liver Transplantation, Ministry of Public Health, Nanjing 210029, PR China.
Xinzheng
X
Dai
Jing
J
Ge
Xuehao
X
Wang
Xiaofeng
X
Qian
Chuanyong
C
Zhang
Xiangcheng
X
Li
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002465:Cell Movement; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D058750:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000556:secondary*; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011379:Prognosis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000235:genetics; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3; C494173:POU5F1 protein, human; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering