Amyloid precursor-like protein 2 interacts with claudin-7 and affects ovarian cancer cell survival

AIM: In our previous report, we identified roles of CLDN7 in regulation of cell signaling. The goal of this study was to identify proteins interacting with CLDN7 in ovarian cancer. METHODS: The yeast two-hybrid system was used to identify proteins directly interacting with CLDN7 and cell survival was tested using colony formation assay. RESULTS: Amyloid precursor-like protein 2 (APLP2) was found directly associated with CLDN7 in ovarian cancer cell line OVCA420. In addition, APLP2 showed increased expression in ovarian cancer cell lines and tumor tissue samples compared with non-neoplastic ovarian tissues. Knockdown of CLDN7 led to increased expression of APLP2 at both the mRNA and protein levels. Knockdown of APLP2 was associated with decreased cell survival in ovarian cancer cells. CONCLUSION: We show a direct interaction of CLDN7 with APLP2. These findings suggest novel regulatory role for APLP2 in ovarian cancer, a role that appears to be mediated by CLDN7.