Knock-down RBX1 inhibits the proliferation，migration，and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells and promotes cell apoptosis by down-regulating PHF5A

Abstract:

Objective To explore the effect of ring box protein-1（RBX1） on the proliferation，apoptosis，migration，and invasion of pancreatic adenocarcinoma（PAAD） cells and the potential mechanism of action.Methods The gene expression profile interactive analysis website，quantitative real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction（qRT-PCR），and Western blot were used to measure the expression of RBX1 in PAAD tissues and cells and to determine its prognostic value. Cell Counting Kit-8，colony formation assay，terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling，wound healing assay，and transwell assay were applied to evaluate the effects of RBX1 knockdown on the proliferation，apoptosis，migration，and invasion of pancreatic carcinoma-1（PANC-1） cells. LinkedOmics website was used to investigate the correlation between RBX1 and plant homodomain finger-like domain-containing protein 5A（PHF5A） in PAAD. Functional rescue experiments were performed by measuring the expression of PHF5A after RBX1 knockdown by qRT-PCR and Western blot.Results RBX1 expression was up-regulated in PAAD tissues and cells，which was associated with a poor prognosis（P<0.05）. RBX1 knockdown inhibited the proliferation，migration，and invasion of PANC-1 cells and promoted cell apoptosis（P<0.05）. RBX1 was associated with PHF5A in PAAD（R=0.6918），and RBX1 positively regulated the expression of PHF5A（P<0.05）. Functional rescue experiments showed that PHF5A overexpression partially reversed the effects of RBX1 knockdown on the proliferation，migration，invasion，and apoptosis of PANC-1 cells（P<0.05）.Conclusion RBX1 knockdown inhibits the proliferation，migration，and invasion of PANC-1 cells and promotes cell apoptosis by down-regulating PHF5A.