Oncogenic NanogP8 expression regulates cell proliferation and migration through the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in human gastric cancer – SGC-7901cell line

BACKGROUND: Although elevated expression of NanogP8 has been detected in many human tumor tissues, its role in gastric tumorigenesis remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the function and regulatory mechanism of NanogP8 in gastric cancer. METHODS: In this study, NanogP8 cDNA was amplified by real time polymerase chain reaction from the human gastric cancer cell line SGC-7901. The shRNA for RNA interference was established. The NanogP8, pAkt, Akt, pERK, ERK, p-mTOR, and mTOR proteins were detected by using the Western blot assay. Cell viability was evaluated by using the CCK-8 assay. Cell migration and invasion were also examined by using the transwell assay. RESULTS: The results indicated that the NanogP8 overexpression promoted proliferation and migration of SGC-7901 cell line, whereas its ablation exerted opposite effects. Interestingly, NanogP8 activated Akt, a key mediator of survival signals, and without affecting total Akt protein level. The NanogP8-increased gastric cell proliferation was downregulated by Akt inhibition. Our results further showed that increasing NanogP8 expression in human gastric cancer cells promoted cell proliferation by activating the AKT/mTOR pathway and further maintained gastric cell survival. CONCLUSION: Our findings extend the knowledge regarding the oncogenic functions and proved that the NanogP8 regulates cell proliferation and migration by Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in human gastric cancer SGC-7901cell line.