Kindlin-2 interacts with β-catenin and YB-1 to enhance EGFR transcription during glioma progression

Kindlin-2 promotes carcinogenesis through regulation of cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix adhesion. However, the role of Kindlin-2 in glioma has not been elucidated. We investigated Kindlin-2 expression in 188 human glioma tissue samples. High Kindlin-2 expression was correlated with high pathological grade and a worse prognosis. Kindlin-2 promoted glioma cell motility and proliferation both in vitro and in vivo. Importantly, Kindlin-2 activated the EGFR pathway and increased EGFR mRNA levels. In addition to up-regulating Y-box binding protein-1 (YB-1) and beta-catenin expression, Kindlin-2 formed a transcriptional complex with YB-1 and beta-catenin that bound to the EGFR promoter and enhanced transcription. The beta-catenin/YB-1/EGFR pathway was required for Kindlin-2-mediated functions. Our data provide a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying glioma progression, and suggest that Kindlin-2 may be a biomarker and therapeutic target in glioma.