Purpose: Little is known about ZNF84 gene. This study aims to investigate ZNF84 expression in cervical cancer (CC) and the effects of ZNF84 on CC.
Materials and methods: Cervical cancer tissue specimens were collected from The First People's Hospital of Foshan. ZNF84 and Akt expression were detected by immunohistochemistry. The influence of ZNF84 on cell proliferation was detected by CCK-8 kits. The effects of ZNF84 on Akt protein and mRNA expression were detected by western blotting and qPCR, respectively.
Results: High expression of ZNF84 protein (80.0%) was detected within CC tissues while negative expression was found in normal cervical tissues. ZNF84 was specifically associated with tumor size (p = 0.018) and negatively associated with other indicators. Further, in squamous cell carcinoma, ZNF84 was associated with both TNM staging (p = 0.041) and tumor size (p = 0.041). In vitro, we used shZNF84 to inhibit the mRNA and protein expression of ZNF84, and showed marked inhibition of cancer cell proliferation by shZNF84. Furthermore, inhibition of ZNF84 down-regulated Akt. Ly294002 (an Akt inhibitor) decreased the cell inhibition ability of shZNF84, indicating the involvement of Akt. Finally, the relationship between ZNF84 and Akt in vivo showed positive correlation (p = 0.023).
Conclusion: ZNF84 expression was increased in CC tissues and associated with tumor size. ZNF84 promoted cell proliferation which might involve Akt signal.
Keywords: Akt; Cell proliferation; Cervical cancer; ZNF84.