Centromere protein U promotes cell proliferation, migration and invasion involving Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in non-small cell lung cancer

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine centromere protein U (CENPU) expression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and identify the clinical values of CENPU, as well as investigate the potential molecular mechanisms in NSCLC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The expression levels and clinical significance of CENPU were systematically evaluated in human protein atlas datasets and TCGA datasets. CENPU protein expression was studied by Western blotting. CENPU mRNA expression was studied by Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). Proliferation, migration, and invasion capacities of CENPU cells were assessed after silencing CENPU. Apoptosis was determined using flow cytometry. Western blotting was performed to assess the protein expression levels. RESULTS: We found that the expression of CENPU at mRNA and protein levels was significantly up-regulated in both NSCLC tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of CENPU was significantly associated with poor prognosis of NSCLC patients. Knockdown of CENPU significantly suppressed proliferation, migration, and invasion, and caused apoptosis of NSCLC cells in vitro. In addition, knockdown of CENPU suppressed epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Furthermore, our results revealed that the abnormal expression of CENPU could influence the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: CENPU was highly expressed in NSCLC tissues and its knockdown of CENPU strongly suppressed NSCLC cell proliferation and metastasis through modulating Wnt/beta-catenin signaling. Targeting CENPU could be a promising therapeutic strategy for patients with CENPU.