TMEM119 promotes gastric cancer cell migration and invasion through STAT3 signaling pathway

Peifen Zheng, Weifeng Wang, Muxi Ji, Qin Zhu, Yuliang Feng, Feng Zhou, Qiaona He Department of Gastroenterology, Zhejiang Hospital, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China Objective: TMEM119 is a member of transmembrane proteins family, which is abnormally expressed in human cancers and associated with tumorigenesis. In this study, we focused on the expression of TMEM119 and its role in cell invasion and migration in gastric cancer. Methods: Real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry were performed to examine the expression of TMEM119 in gastric cancer tissues and cell lines. After transfection with TMEM119 siRNA or recombined TMEM119-expressing vector, the invasion and migration ability of MKN45 and SGC-7901 cells was measured by transwell assay. The expression of TMEM119, p-STAT3, STAT3, VEGF, MMP2, and MMP9 proteins in SGC-7901 and MKN45 cells treated with TMEM119 siRNA, TMEM119-expressing vector, or AG490 was measured by Western blotting. Results: We found that higher TMEM119 expression was found in gastric cancer tissues and cell lines and was associated with lower survival rate. TMEM119 knockdown inhibited SGC-7901 cell invasion and migration, along with the expression of p-STAT3, VEGF, MMP2, and MMP9. TMEM119 overexpression promoted MKN45 cell invasion and migration, along with the expression of p-STAT3, VEGF, MMP2, and MMP9. Additionally, AG490 treatment significantly corrected TMEM119-induced MKN45 cell migration and invasion and expression of p-STAT3, VEGF, MMP9, and MMP2 proteins. Conclusion: The results indicated that TMEM119 promotes gastric cancer cell migration and invasion through activation of STAT3 signaling pathway, and TMEM119 may therefore act as a novel therapeutic target for gastric cancer. Keywords: gastric cancer, TMEM119, migration, invasion, STAT3, VEGF, MMP2, MMP