Background: Deregulated PIN1 is associated with cancer development and progression. Herein, for the first time, we evaluate the roles that PIN1 in tumorigenic characteristics of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells.
Methods: In this study, PIN1 expression was knocked down in SW-48 cells by synthetic small interfering RNA (siRNA). After confirming the knockdown of PIN1, cell viability, colony formation, apoptosis, autophagy, cancer stem cell (CSC)-related genes, CSC-related signaling pathways, cell migration, and 5-FU chemosensitivity were evaluated in vitro.
Results: Transfection of PIN1 siRNA into SW-48 cells inhibited cancer cell proliferation, migration, and increased apoptosis and autophagy. Transfected SW-48 cells had lower properties of CSCs through the inhibition of β-catenin and Notch1 gene expression. Moreover, inhibition of PIN1 enhanced the inhibitory effect of 5-FU on SW-48 cell proliferation.
Conclusion: Our results indicated that targeting of PIN1 serves as a promising therapeutic solution for the suppression of tumor progression processes in CRC.
Keywords: Apoptosis; Autophagy; CSCs; Chemosensitivity; Colorectal cancer; PIN1.
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