Objective: Casein kinase 2 a1 (CSNK2A1) has been shown to be involved in tumorigenesis by enhancing several oncogenic signaling pathways in various cancers. However, the function and mechanism of CSNK2A1 in gastric cancer remain unclear, and this study aimed to elucidate the role of CSNK2A1 in gastric cancer.
Methods: CSNK2A1 expression was assessed by Western blot and qPCR in four gastric cancer (GC) cell lines and one normal gastric epithelial cell line. Stable cancer cell lines with CSNK2A1 gene overexpression or knockdown were established to investigate the function and mechanism of CSNK2A1 in GC cells.
Results: CSNK2A1 expression was higher in GC cells than in normal gastric epithelial cells. Stable overexpression of CSNK2A1 in SNU216 cells significantly increased cellular proliferation, invasion, and migration. Silencing CSNK2A1 expression in SGC-790 cells effectively inhibited its oncogenic function. We further verified that epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) was affected by CSNK2A1 and that CSNK2A1 promotes GC cell invasion through the PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling pathway.
Conclusion: Our findings suggested that CSNK2A1 plays important oncogenic roles in GC invasion via EMT and the PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling pathway and that CSNK2A1 may serve as a novel prognostic and/or therapeutic target in GC.
Keywords: gastric cancer, CSNK2A1, function, mechanism