Objective: To explore the association of FMNL2 expression with the metastatic potential of colorectal cancer cells.
Methods: FMNL2 mRNA and protein expressions in 6 human colorectal cancer cell lines were detected by real-time RT-PCR and immunohistochemical method, respectively, and analyzed for their correlations to the in vitro invasiveness of the cell lines evaluated by Boyden assay. In SW620 and SW480/M5 cell lines, the expression of FMNL2 was repressed by FMNL2 short hairpin RNA (shRNA), and the changes in the invasiveness of the cells were observed.
Results: FMNL2 was highly expressed in SW480/M5, LoVo and SW620 cells derived from metastatic colorectal cancers in comparison with that in LS174T, SW480 and HT29 cells, which were derived from primary colorectal cancers. In vitro analysis of the cell invasiveness demonstrated that SW480/M5, LoVo and SW620 cells had higher invasiveness than LS174T, SW480 and HT29 in vitro. In SW480/M5 and SW620 cells, transfection with FMNL2 shRNA resulted in significantly lowered cell invasiveness.
Conclusion: FMNL2 may play an important role in the invasion and metastasis of colorectal cancer.