KIF4A Promotes Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma (ccRCC) Proliferation in vitro and in vivo

PURPOSE: To evaluate the expression in human clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) tissues and explore the effects of kinesin family member 4A (KIF4A) on ccRCC progression. METHODS: GEPIA was used to evaluate the mRNA levels of KIF4A in human ccRCC tissues from TCGA database, and Immunohistochemistry (IHC) assays were performed to assess its expression in human ccRCC tissues collected in our hospital. The clinical-pathological analysis was performed to explore the correlation with KIF4A expression. The effects of KIF4A on ccRCC cell proliferation were detected through colony formation and MTT assays. Finally, the effects of KIF4A on tumor growth were measured using a mice model. RESULTS: Bioinformation results showed the expression of KIF4A mRNA was upregulated in ccRCC tissues and high expression of KIF4A was related with poor prognosis in ccRCC patients. We also found a high expression of KIF4A in human ccRCC tissues collected in our hospital. We also found its expression level was correlated with clinical characteristics, including T stage (P=0.035*) and lymphatic metastasis (P=0.028*). We further confirmed that knockdown of KIF4A suppressed cell proliferation in HTB-47 and CRL-1932 cells. Furthermore, KIF4A contributes to tumor growth of ccRCC cells in mice. CONCLUSION: We found the abnormal high expression of KIF4A in human ccRCC tissues and demonstrated that KIF4A could serve as a tumor induction gene.