Knockdown of inhibits the progression of ovarian cancer and is related to the signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND

Tripartite motif-containing protein 44 () was recently identified as a novel oncogene that is overexpressed in several types of human cancers. However, the biological functions of in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) remain unclear. Here, we aimed to investigate the role of in EOC and its clinical implications.

METHODS

was knocked down using shRNA transfection. In vitro proliferation, invasion, migration and apoptosis of ovarian cancer (OC) cells were detected by CCK8, colony formation assay, Transwell inserts and flow cytometry analysis. The growth ability of xenograft tumors was examined in a nude mouse metastatic tumor model. Finally, we performed gene chip analysis and ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) to analyze the potential gene network.

RESULTS

High expression of was observed in EOC tissues. Knockdown of TRIM44 expression substantially suppressed the proliferation, migration, invasion and colony-forming ability of EOC cells and attenuated tumor growth . Mechanistic studies revealed that silencing dramatically downregulated the expression of , , , and in EOC cells, at least in part through inactivation of the signaling pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

Collectively, these data suggest that downregulation of TRIM44 inhibits the progression of EOC through suppression of the signaling pathway. These results provide novel insight into the role of in tumorigenesis and suggest that it could be a potential therapeutic target for ovarian carcinoma.