Downregulation of Lgr6 inhibits proliferation and invasion and increases apoptosis in human colorectal cancer

Wang,Fei; Dai,Chun‑Qian; Zhang,Li‑Rong; Bing,Cao; Qin,Jun; Liu,Yi‑Fei

doi:10.3892/ijmm.2018.3633

Downregulation of Lgr6 inhibits proliferation and invasion and increases apoptosis in human colorectal cancer

Authors:
- Fei Wang
- Chun‑Qian Dai
- Li‑Rong Zhang
- Cao Bing
- Jun Qin
- Yi‑Fei Liu
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Affiliations: Department of General Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu 226000, P.R. China, Department of General Surgery, Rudong No. 2 People's Hospital, Rudong, Jiangsu 226400, P.R. China, Department of Pathology, The Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu 226000, P.R. China
Published online on: April 18, 2018 https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2018.3633
Pages: 625-632

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Abstract

The aim of the present study was to analyze the role of leucine‑rich repeat‑containing G‑protein coupled receptor 6 (Lgr6) in the proliferation and invasion of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells, and to investigate its possible mechanisms. The expression of Lgr6 in CRC tissues was observed by real time‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. Then cell viability, apoptosis and cell invasion was measured by MTT, flow cytometry or Matrigel‑Transwell system, respectively in CRC cells after transfected with Lgr6 siRNA or Lgr6 vector. Furthermore, the expression of apoptosis‑associated protein and PI3K/AKT signaling (phosphorylated‑PI3K, phosphorylated‑AKT, t‑PI3K, t‑AKT) were measured by real‑time PCR/or western blot analysis. The results demonstrated that the level of Lgr6 was higher in CRC tissues than that in adjacent tissues, and Lgr6 overexpression increased CRC proliferation, and invasion of CRC cells in vitro. Notably, suppressing the expression of Lgr6 in CRC cells increased the expression of B‑cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl‑2)‑associated X protein and caspase‑3, but decreased the expression of Bcl‑2 at the mRNA and protein levels. Lgr6 also had the ability to regulate the phosphoinositide 3‑kinase/AKT signaling pathway. It was concluded that Lgr6 has a tumor‑promoting role in the development of CRC, and may serve as a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for the disease.

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