title: Silencing of A-Kinase Anchor Protein 4 (AKAP4) Inhibits Proliferation and Progression of Thyroid Cancer.
abstract: A-kinase anchor protein 4 (AKAP4), a member of the A-kinase anchor family of proteins, plays a role in tumor development and progression. However, its expression pattern and function in human thyroid cancer remain obscure. Here we examined AKAP4 expression in thyroid cancer cell lines as well as the effects of AKAP4 on the proliferation and metastasis of thyroid cancer cells. We also explored the molecular mechanism by which AKAP4 mediates the metastatic potential of thyroid cancer cells. Our results revealed that the transcript and protein levels of AKAP4 were significantly upregulated in thyroid cancer cell lines. In vitro experiments showed that knockdown of AKAP4 significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process in thyroid cancer cells. Additionally, knockdown of AKAP4 greatly decreased the protein expression of Shh as well as Smo, Ptc, and Gli-1 in ACT-1 cells. Finally, the in vivo nude mice model confirmed that knockdown of AKAP4 attenuated tumor growth. In conclusion, our findings demonstrated that knockdown of AKAP4 inhibited proliferation and metastasis, likely through suppressing the Shh signaling pathway, in thyroid cancer cells. Thus, AKAP4 may act as a potential therapeutic target for human thyroid cancer.
authors.forename: Jiakai
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Dongyue
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D054758:A Kinase Anchor Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002465:Cell Movement; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000235:genetics; D058750:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition / Q000235:genetics; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D020868:Gene Silencing; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
chemical_list: D054758:A Kinase Anchor Proteins; C485480:AKAP4 protein, human; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins; C509239:SHH protein, human