MMP16 is a marker of poor prognosis in gastric cancer promoting proliferation and invasion

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are closely associated with tumor proliferation, invasion and metastasis. In this study, we determined the MMPs expression and their clinical significances in gastric cancer (GC). We first extensive studied MMPs expression in GC in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) RNA sequence database and found MMP16 was candidate biomarker in GC. Then we validated clinical significance of MMP16 mRNA expression in 167 GC by RT-PCR. Survival analysis showed that high expression of MMP16 indicated poor overall and disease free survival (P<0.001). The proliferation and invasion potential of GC cells were determined by CCK8, colony formation and Transwell assays. Silencing of MMP16 expression significantly decreased the invasion and proliferation capacity of GC cells (P<0.05). In conclusion, MMP16 was highly expressed and correlated with poor prognosis in GC patients by promoting proliferation and invasion of GC cells. MMP16 could be a novel molecular target and prognostic marker for GC.