Objective: To determine the function of the YAP-JNK-mitophagy signalling pathway in gastric cancer (GC).
Study design: An observational study.
Place and duration of study: Seventh People's Hospital of Shanghai University of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), between June 2019 and June 2021.
Methodology: Tissues from 30 cases of gastric cancer and corresponding adjacent tissues were collected. RT-qPCR was employed to detect the expression of YAP and JNK in GC samples. MTT, Wound healing and Transwell assays were used to detect changes in GC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion under different stimulation. LC3 immunofluorescence and mitochondrial membrane potential detection were used to analyse the occurrence of mitochondrial autophagy.
Results: The expression of YAP and JNK were significantly increased in GC tissues (p=0.024, 0.033). YAP knockdown inhibited GC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Further studies showed that YAP affects GC cell function by targeting JNK. In addition, YAP-JNK signalling was found to regulate GC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion mainly through regulating the occurrence of mitophagy.
Conclusion: These findings revealed that YAP-JNK promotes the development of GC by targeting mitophagy.
Key words: Gastric cancer, YAP, JNK, Autophagy.