GP5 regulates epithelial–mesenchymal transition in breast cancer via the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway

Abstract

Recent evidences have shown that glycoprotein V (GP5) protein, which is initially considered as an important adhesion molecule unique to the megakaryocyte line, was also specifically expressed in malignant human breast epithelial cells. However, its expression level and function are not clear. This study aimed to reveal the abnormal expression of GP5 in breast cancer (BC), research the associations between the GP5 abnormal expression and BC progression, and explore the molecular mechanism of GP5 in BC. Immunohistochemistry, Western blot (WB), and quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays were used to determine the expression patterns of GP5 in BC tissues and cells. The expression profiles of GP5 in the Cancer Genome Atlas databases were analyzed by UALCAN. The GP5 knockdown and over-expression BC cell lines were constructed and confirmed by RT-PCR and WB. Transcriptome sequencing and KEGG database were performed to screen cellular processes and signal pathways. Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathway was verified by RT-qPCR, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) was confirmed by WB. The results indicated GP5 was highly expressed in BC tissues and might play an important role as a cancer-promoting gene in BC. The high expression of GP5 was significantly associated with higher nuclear grade, higher TNM stage, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) negativity. GP5 may promote the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of BC cells by activating PI3K/AKT signaling pathway to up-regulate the EMT. This study provides a new idea that GP5 was expected to become a potential molecular target for early BC clinic diagnosis and treatment.