DRP5 is involved in cancer cell growth and predicts poor prognosis in human osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is an extremely aggressive primary malignant bone tumor of childhood. Collapsin response mediator proteins ( CRMP s), which are highly expressed in the developing nervous system, were recently shown to be associated with cancer development. However, the relationship between DRP 5 ( CRMP 5) and osteosarcoma has not been evaluated. In this study, we investigated the role of DRP 5 in the regulation of osteosarcoma growth. DRP 5 mRNA and protein levels were significantly upregulated in human osteosarcoma cell lines and associated with increased migration and invasion. Genetic knockdown of DRP 5 markedly suppressed the expression of matrix metalloproteinase ( MMP )‐2 and MMP ‐9. DRP 5 silencing significantly inhibited osteosarcoma cell growth in vitro and in a xenograft mouse model in vivo. Microarray immunohistochemical analysis of osteosarcoma specimens and Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that patients with high DRP 5 protein expression had shorter overall survival than those with low DRP 5 levels. Taken together, these results suggest that DRP 5 plays a critical role in the regulation of osteosarcoma and could be a potential therapeutic target and prognostic factor in osteosarcoma.