mediates osteopontin expression in gastric cancer cells.

Genes of the homeobox (HOX) family encode transcription factors, which play a role in cancer progression. However, their role in gastric cancer has not been adequately evaluated. Herein, we evaluated the genetic changes and mRNA of target genes of the HOX family in gastric cancer patients using publicly available online datasets. We found that was amplified in gastric cancer tissues, and mRNA expression levels were significantly associated with tumor status (=0.044) and poor overall survival (<0.01). knockdown significantly reduced the viability of gastric cancer cell lines. modulated the expression of secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1, osteopontin) and phosphorylation of AKT/ERK in gastric cancer cells. Survival analysis demonstrated a decrease in overall survival rates among the high /high expression group compared with the low /low expression group. In conclusion, may be an independent prognostic factor and serve as a useful predictive biomarker for gastric cancer.