Yes‑associated protein (YAP) predicts poor prognosis and regulates progression of esophageal squamous cell cancer through epithelial‑mesenchymal transition

Qu,Yan; Zhang,Lin; Wang,Jianbo; Chen,Pengxiang; Jia,Yibin; Wang,Cong; Yang,Wenjing; Wen,Zhihua; Song,Qingxu; Tan,Bingxu; Cheng,Yufeng

doi:10.3892/etm.2019.7896

Yes‑associated protein (YAP) predicts poor prognosis and regulates progression of esophageal squamous cell cancer through epithelial‑mesenchymal transition

Authors:
- Yan Qu
- Lin Zhang
- Jianbo Wang
- Pengxiang Chen
- Yibin Jia
- Cong Wang
- Wenjing Yang
- Zhihua Wen
- Qingxu Song
- Bingxu Tan
- Yufeng Cheng
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Affiliations: Department of Radiation Oncology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, P.R. China
Published online on: August 14, 2019 https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2019.7896
Pages: 2993-3001
Copyright: © Qu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

The impact of yes‑associated protein (YAP) on the prognosis of patients with esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC) and its mechanism of action has seldom been reported. In the present study, the role of YAP on the prognosis of patients with ESCC and the mechanism of action of YAP in promoting the progression of ESCC was investigated. Tumor tissue samples from patients with ESCC were collected and the level of YAP expression was detected using immunohistochemical staining. In addition, YAP was knocked‑down in ESCC cell lines and the effects on cell migration and invasion were examined. The expression levels of vimentin, N‑cadherin, and E‑cadherin were further investigated to examine the association between YAP and epithelial‑mesenchymal transition (EMT). Results showed that overexpression of YAP was associated with larger lymph node metastasis and poor disease‑free survival and overall survival. Compared with patients in early stage ESCC, the association was more significant in patients with late stage ESCC. Univariate and multivariate analyses further indicated that YAP expression could be an independent prognostic factor for ESCC. Downregulation of YAP inhibited cell migration and invasion. Western blot analysis showed that when YAP was knocked down, expression levels of vimentin and N‑cadherin were reduced, whereas that of E‑cadherin was increased. In conclusion, the results indicates that YAP expression level could be a novel marker for predicting the prognosis of patients with ESCC, and YAP‑promoted tumor migration and invasion might be through EMT in ESCC.

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