CORO1C expression is associated with poor survival rates in gastric cancer and promotes metastasis in vitro

Coronin‐like actin‐binding protein 1C (CORO1C) is a member of the WD repeat protein family that regulates actin‐dependent processes by assembling F‐actin. CORO1C was previously reported to promote metastasis in breast cancer and lung squamous cell carcinoma. Here, we investigated the role of CORO1C in gastric cancer. Higher expression levels of CORO1C were detected in gastric cancer tissues as compared with normal gastric tissues. In addition, CORO1C levels were found to be positively correlated with lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer patients. The expression levels of CORO1C were higher in stage III‐IV gastric cancer patients (80.8%) than in stage I‐II gastric cancer patients(57.1%). Gastric cancer patients positive for CORO1C expression showed lower relapse‐free survival and overall survival rates. Knockdown of CORO1C dramatically suppressed total cell number, cell viability, cell colony formation, cell mitosis and cell metastasis, and promoted apoptosis of gastric cancer cells. Furthermore, cyclin D1 and vimentin were found to be positively regulated by CORO1C. As cyclin D1 and vimentin play an oncogenic role in gastric cancer, CORO1C may exert its tumor‐promoting activity through these proteins.