title: MAGI1 inhibits migration and invasion via blocking MAPK/ERK signaling pathway in gastric cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the association of membrane-associated guanylate kinase inverted 1 (MAGI1) with gastric cancer (GC) and the related molecular mechanisms.
  
  
  METHODS
  The reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were utilized to measure the MAGI1 expression level in GC tissues. Quantitative real-time PCR and Western blotting were used to ensure the MAGI1 expression in GC cell lines. Small hairpin RNA (shRNA) was applied for knockdown of endogenous MAGI1 in GC cells. MTT assay and colony formation assay, scratch wounding migration assay and transwell chamber migration assay, as well as transwell chamber invasion assay were employed respectively to investigate the GC cell proliferation, migration and invasion in MAGI1-knockdown and control GC cells. The potential molecular mechanism mediated by MAGI1 was studied using Western blotting and RT- PCR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  RT-PCR and IHC verified MAGI1 was frequently expressed in matched adjacent noncancerous mucosa compared with GC tissues and the expression of MAGI1 was related to clinical pathological parameters. Functional assays indicated that MAGI1 knockdown significantly promoted GC cell migration and invasion. Further mechanism investigation demonstrated that one pathway of MAGI1 inhibiting migration and invasion was mainly by altering the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related molecules via inhibiting MAPK/ERK signaling pathway.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MAGI1 was associated with GC clinical pathological parameters and acted as a tumor suppressor via inhibiting of MAPK/ERK signaling pathway in GC.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Surgery, the Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot 010050, China; Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Center for Molecular Diagnosis, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing 100142, China.
authors.forename: Shuqin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, the Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot 010050, China.
authors.forename: Jiajia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Center for Molecular Diagnosis, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing 100142, China.
authors.forename: Tingting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Center for Molecular Diagnosis, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing 100142, China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Tissue Bank, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing 100142, China.
authors.forename: Xiaohong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, the Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot 010050, China.
authors.forename: Caixia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing 100142, China.
authors.forename: Jiafu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ji
keywords: EMT; MAGI1; MAPK/ERK; MMPs; gastric cancer; invasion; migration