Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common cancers and is the second leading cause of mortality in men. Studies exploring novel therapeutic methods are urgently needed. FAM107A, a coding gene located in the short arm of chromosome3, is generally downregulated in PCa and is associated with a poor prognosis. However, the downregulation of FAM107A in PCa and the mechanism of its action remain challenging to determine. This investigation found that downregulation of FAM107A expression in PCa was caused by hypermethylation of CpG islands. Furthermore, DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) was involved in maintaining hypermethylation. Mechanistically, overexpression of FAM107A inhibits tumor cell proliferation, migration, invasion and promotes apoptosis through the FAK/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, indicating that FAM107A may be a molecular brake of FAK/PI3K/AKT signaling, thus limiting the active state of the FAK/PI3K/AKT pathway. These findings will contribute to a better understanding of the effect of FAM107A in PCa, and FAM107A may represent a new therapeutic target for PCa.
Keywords: EMT; FAK/PI3K/AKT pathway; FAM107A; methylation; prostate cancer.