Downregulation of PAK6 Suppresses Cell Progression in Gastric Cancer

Abstract

Background: As a common and aggressive cancer, gastric cancer is a severe threat to human health. This experiment investigated the function of p21-activated kinase 6 (PAK6) in gastric cancer, in order to explore its possibility as tumor marker and prognostic indicator for gastric cancer. Methods: Sixty pairs of gastric cancer tissues and adjacent normal tissues were collected from patients with gastric cancer in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University (Affiliated Hospital of Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences). Western blot, real time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and immunohistochemical tests were carried out to validate the level of PAK6 in gastric cancer tissues and adjacent normal tissues. The effect of PAK6 on the proliferative activity, migration, invasion, apoptosis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of gastric cancer cells was examined by cell counting kit‑8 (CCK-8), scratch, Transwell, flow cytometry (FCM) and western blot assays. The correlation between PAK6 and miR-200b-3p was detected by a dual-luciferase reporter gene assay. Results: PAK6 was overexpressed in gastric cancer tissues, and had a negative correlation with overall survival in patients with gastric cancer. Next, we successfully knocked down PAK6 in AGS and MKN45 cells. PAK6 silencing significantly reduced the proliferation, invasive and migratory abilities, EMT process, and accelerated the apoptosis. Furthermore, miR-200b-3p was confirmed to be a targeted miRNA for PAK6. Conclusions: We found that PAK6 played a promoting role in gastric cancer, and might serve as a new oncogenic indicator of gastric cancer to guide clinical practice.