Open Access

ARTICLE

Silencing of Ribosomal Protein L34 (RPL34) Inhibits the Proliferation and Invasion of Esophageal Cancer Cells

Huijie Fan^*1, Jing Li^*1, Yongxu Jia^*, Jingjing Wu^*, Long Yuan^†, Mingjun Li^*, Jiangqi Wei^‡, Benling Xu^§

* Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, P.R. China
† Department of Surgery, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, P.R. China
‡ Department of Surgery, The First Renmin Hospital of Xinxiang City, Xinxiang, P.R. China
§ Department of Cancer Biotherapy, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, P.R. China
1 These authors provided equal contribution to this work.

Oncology Research 2017, 25(7), 1061-1068. https://doi.org/10.3727/096504016X14830466773541

Abstract

Ribosomal protein L34 (RPL34) belongs to the L34E family of ribosomal proteins and contains a zinc finger motif. Aberrant expression of RPL34 has been reported in several human malignancies. However, the precise role and potential underlying mechanisms of RPL34 in human esophageal cancer remain largely unknown. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the role of RPL34 in esophageal cancer progression. Our results showed that the expression of RPL34 at both the mRNA and protein levels was frequently upregulated in esophageal cancer cell lines. Knockdown of RPL34 efficiently inhibited esophageal cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro. Mechanistically, knockdown of RPL34 significantly downregulated the protein expression level of p-PI3K and p-Akt in esophageal cancer cells. Finally, knockdown of RPL34 attenuated tumor growth in nude mice. In conclusion, our study revealed that RPL34 functions as an oncogene that modulates the proliferation and metastasis of esophageal cancer cells, in part, by the inactivation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Thus, these findings suggest that RPL34 may serve as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of esophageal cancer.

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