Tumor Protein D52 (TPD52) Inhibits Growth and Metastasis in Renal Cell Carcinoma Cells Through the PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway

Tumor protein D52 (TPD52) is a member of the TPD52-like protein family and plays different roles in various types of malignancies. However, its role in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is still unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of TPD52 in RCC. The mechanism of TPD52 in RCC was also investigated. Our data demonstrated that the expression levels of TPD52 in both mRNA and protein were significantly decreased in RCC cells. Overexpression of TPD52 inhibited proliferation, migration, and invasion with decreased epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype in RCC cells, as well as attenuated tumor growth in renal cancer xenografts. Mechanistically, overexpression of TPD52 significantly inhibited downregulated phosphorylation levels of PI3K and Akt in RCC cells. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that TPD52 inhibited growth and metastasis of RCC, at least in part, by suppressing the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Therefore, these findings suggest that TPD52 may be a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of human RCC.