Open AccessKLHL22 promotes malignant melanoma growth in vitro and in vivo by activating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway
Author(s) -
X. R. Liu,
W. Wang,
H. M. Li
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
neoplasma
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.628
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1338-4317
pISSN - 0028-2685
DOI - 10.4149/neo_2020_190923n954
Subject(s) - pi3k/akt/mtor pathway , in vivo , in vitro , melanoma , cancer research , protein kinase b , chemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , signal transduction , biology , biochemistry , genetics
The kelch like family member 22 (KLHL22) is a member of the KLHL (Kelch-like) gene family, which was involved in the progression of breast cancer. However, its role remains unclear in malignant melanoma (MM). Our study found that KLHL22 expression was upregulated in human MM tissues. Regarding the functional analysis for KLHL22 in the progression of MM cells, we demonstrated that overexpression of KLHL22 could promote MM cell growth in vitro. Vice versa, knockdown of KLHL22 could suppress the proliferation of MM cells. Furthermore, KLHL22 also promoted tumorigenesis of MM cells in vivo. In experiments investigating the underlying mechanism, expressions of p-Akt and p-mTOR were significantly increased by overexpression of KLHL22. Meanwhile, knockdown of KLHL22 could decrease the expression levels of p-Akt and p-mTOR. Our studies thus suggest that KLHL22 can promote the growth of MM cells via activating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway, which can serve as a potential target in the diagnosis and/or treatment of MM.