Golgi phosphoprotein 3 promotes the proliferation of gallbladder carcinoma cells via regulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome

Golgi phosphoprotein 3 (GOLPH3) has been demonstrated to promote tumor progression in various gastrointestinal malignancies. However, its effects in gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) remain unknown. In the present study, the expression levels of GOLPH3 and nucleotide-binding domain leucine-rich repeat and pyrin domain containing receptor 3 (NLRP3) in human GBC tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry, and the clinical data and survival of these patients were analyzed. Next, whether GOLPH3 could affect tumor proliferation via regulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome was investigated in vitro. The results demonstrated that GOLPH3 could promote GBC cell proliferation, and that it regulated protein expression levels of NLRP3, as well as Caspase-1 P10. Conversely, knockdown of NLRP3 reversed the effects of GOLPH3 overexpression on GBC cell proliferation. GOLPH3 and NLRP3 expression levels were found to be upregulated in GBC tissues and their expression was positively correlated. The expression of GOLPH3 and NLRP3 was associated with the expression of the proliferative marker Ki-67 in tissues, and associated with poor survival, tumor stage, degree of differentiation, depth of invasion, carbohydrate antigen 19-9 and C-reactive protein levels in patients with GBC. In summary, these results indicate that GOLPH3 promotes GBC cell proliferation via a NLRP3/Caspase-1 pathway. GOLPH3 and NLRP3 participate in the process of human GBC growth and may serve as a potential therapeutic targets.