The role of low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 11 as a tumor promoter in cervical cancer

BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 11 (LRP11), a newly found lipoprotein receptor regulatory protein, has the carcinogenic effects in cervical cancer. METHODS: Bioinformatics analysis, immunohistochemical (IHC) staining and evaluation, cell proliferation assay, flow cytometry, transwell migration and invasion assays, Western blotting, growth of LRP11-silenced cells in athymic nude mice were performed in this research. RESULTS: We found that LRP11 expression was higher in high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) and cervical cancer tissue than in normal cervix, and high expression of LRP11 was associated with differentiation degree (P=0.0266), indicating poor prognosis (P=0.0210). The silencing of LRP11 in SiHa and CaSki cell lines inhibited cell proliferation, reduced migration and invasion and suppressed cell growth in nude mice, which possibly related to cell cycle protein regulation of CDK 2/4, cyclin D1/E1, MMP-2/9, and VEGF. Furthermore, LRP11 showed substantial positive correlation with P16 in vivo and in vitro. CONCLUSION: LRP11 plays important roles in proliferation, migration and invasion, with the potential to be a useful prognostic marker and therapeutic target for patients with HSIL and cervical cancer.