Down-regulation of TMEM16A inhibited invasion and migration in rectal carcinoma

TMEM16A plays an important role in cell proliferation in various cancers. However, less was known about the expression and role of TMEM16A in rectal carcinoma. We screened the expression of TMEM16A in patients' hepatocellular carcinoma tissues, and also analyzed the biological function of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by RNA-interference of TMEM16A, as well as the expression of PI3K/AKT signaling proteins, including AKT, p-AKT, PI3K, p-PI3K, cell cycle regulatory protein cyclin D1 and metastasis-related proteins in TMEM16A siRNA-transfected SW116 cells by western blot. Our results showed that TMEM16A was overexpressed in rectal carcinoma tissues. Inhibition of TMEM16A suppressed the cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and cell cycle progression. TMEM16A siRNA-suppressed cancer cell proliferation, invasion and migration were accompanied by a reduction of PI3K and AKT activation and cyclin D1 induction. TMEM16A is overexpressed in rectal carcinoma, and that inhibition of TMEM16A suppressed PI3K/AKT signaling in rectal carcinoma cells. TMEM16A could be a potentially novel therapeutic target for human cancers, including rectal carcinoma.