LTBP2 promotes the migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells and predicts poor outcome of patients with gastric cancer

Latent transforming growth factor-β-binding protein (LTBP)2 is a member of the fibrillin/LTBP superfamily of extracellular matrix proteins, and has been demonstrated to exhibit tumor-promoting and tumor-suppressive functions in different types of cancer. However, the function of LTBP2 in gastric cancer (GC) remains unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression and molecular function of LTBP2 in GC, and to evaluate its prognostic value for patients with GC. The results revealed that the expression of LTBP2 was upregulated in GC tissues and cell lines. Increased LTBP2 expression was associated with poor overall survival in patients with early-stage [tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) I/II] and late-stage (TNM III/IV) GC. Furthermore, silencing of LTBP2 effectively suppressed the proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in GC cells. These results suggested that LTBP2 may be considered as a potential therapeutic target and a promising prognostic biomarker for human GC.