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GGN Promotes Tumorigenesis by Regulating Proliferation and Apoptosis in Colorectal Cancer

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Pathology & Oncology Research

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. GGN is a germ cell-specific gene, but its function in CRC has been rarely reported to date. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential role of GGN in CRC tumorigenesis. Therefore, in this study, we examined the expression of GGN in CRC cell lines and tissues and its effects on cellular proliferation and apoptosis. We then explored the underlying mechanism. Our results showed that GGN was significantly overexpressed in both CRC cell lines and tissues. Silencing GGN robustly inhibited proliferation of CRC cells, and it also promoted apoptosis of CRC cells. Moreover, knockdown of GGN inhibited the expression of p-Akt in CRC cells. Taken together, these results showed that knockdown of GGN inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis of CRC cells through the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Our findings revealed for the first time a potential oncogenic role for GGN in CRC progress. This finding may provide a unique perspective on how a germ cell-specific gene might serve as a biomarker, or even as a therapeutic target, for CRC.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission (No. Z161100000116090); the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (No. 2016YFC0905303); the CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (CIFMS) (No.2016-I2M-1-001); and the Beijing Science and Technology Program (No. D17110002617004).

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Author notes

  1. Zheng Liu, Ming Yang and Song Wang have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Colorectal Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, 17 Panjiayuan Nanli, Chaoyang Dist., Beijing, 100021, China

    Zheng Liu, Ming Yang, Hai-peng Chen, Xu Guan, Zhi-xun Zhao, Zheng Jiang, Ji-chuan Quan & Xi-shan Wang

  2. Department of Colorectal Cancer Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China

    Song Wang & Run-kun Yang

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  1. Zheng Liu
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  2. Ming Yang
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  3. Song Wang
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  4. Hai-peng Chen
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Correspondence to Xi-shan Wang.

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Liu, Z., Yang, M., Wang, S. et al. GGN Promotes Tumorigenesis by Regulating Proliferation and Apoptosis in Colorectal Cancer. Pathol. Oncol. Res. 25, 1621–1626 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12253-019-00595-3

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