TRPM2 ion channel promotes gastric cancer migration, invasion and tumor growth through the AKT signaling pathway

Transient Receptor Potential Melastatin-2 (TRPM2) ion channel is emerging as a great therapeutic target in many types of cancer, including gastric cancer – a major health threat of cancer related-death worldwide. Our previous study demonstrated the critical role of TRPM2 in gastric cancer cells bioenergetics and survival; however, its role in gastric cancer metastasis, the major cause of patient death, remains unknown. Here, using molecular and functional assays, we demonstrate that TRPM2 downregulation significantly inhibits the migration and invasion abilities of gastric cancer cells, with a significant reversion in the expression level of metastatic markers. These effects were concomitant with decreased Akt and increased PTEN activities. Finally, TRPM2 silencing resulted in deregulation of metastatic markers and abolished the tumor growth ability of AGS gastric cancer cells in NOD/SCID mice. Taken together, our results provide compelling evidence on the important function of TRPM2 in the modulation of gastric cancer cell invasion likely through controlling the PTEN/Akt pathway.