U three protein 14a (UTP14A) promotes tumour proliferation and metastasis via the PERK/eIF2a/GRP78 signalling pathway in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Kun-Kun Li; Cheng-Yi Mao; Qiang Ma; Tao Bao; Ying-Jian Wang; Wei Guo; Xiao-Long Zhao

doi:10.7150/jca.44649

U three protein 14a (UTP14A) promotes tumour proliferation and metastasis via the PERK/eIF2a/GRP78 signalling pathway in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma

J Cancer. 2021 Jan 1;12(1):134-140. doi: 10.7150/jca.44649. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Kun-Kun Li¹, Cheng-Yi Mao², Qiang Ma², Tao Bao¹, Ying-Jian Wang¹, Wei Guo¹, Xiao-Long Zhao²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Thoracic Surgery, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University, PR China.
² Department of Pathology, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University, PR China.

Abstract

Metastasis and malignant proliferation are major obstacles to the treatment of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), and UTP14A is associated with poor prognosis in ESCC. However, its mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. The TCGA and GEO databases were used to identify candidate target genes and possible downstream targets. Then, the effects were determined in vitro and in vivo through knockdown and overexpression techniques, and the mechanism was explored. UTP14A was significantly higher in the tumour tissue of ESCC patients than in normal tissue. Knockdown of UTP14A significantly suppressed the migration and proliferation of ESCC cells. The PERK/eIF2a signalling pathway was positively regulated by UTP14A, and its tumour-promoting effect was further activated by overexpression of UTP14A. In conclusion, UTP14A might promote the proliferation and metastasis of ESCC cells by inducing PERK/eIF2a signalling pathway expression.

Keywords: ESCC; PERK; UTP14A; metastasis.