Enhanced expression of KIF4A in osteosarcoma predicts a poor prognosis and facilitates tumor growth by activation of the MAPK pathway

The present study aimed to explore the prognostic value and role of kinesin family member 4A (KIF4A) expression in human osteosarcoma. KIF4A expression was evaluated in human osteosarcoma tissues from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus datasets. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR was then applied to assess KIF4A level in both osteosarcoma cell lines and tissues. The association between KIF4A expression and clinical results in patients with osteosarcoma was detected by survival analysis. MTT assays and colony formation assays were used to evaluate the effects of KIF4A on osteosarcoma cell proliferation. The results indicated that the level of KIF4A was increased and associated with a poor prognosis in osteosarcoma tissues. Knockdown of KIF4A was shown to inhibit osteosarcoma cellular proliferation by affecting the MAPK pathway. The level of KIF4A was high in the human osteosarcoma tissues and this could be considered as a tumor induction gene, which may be used as an indicator of prognosis.