Silencing of Kinesin Light Chain 1 Suppresses Aggressive Phenotypes in Cholangiocarcinoma Cells Through Transcriptomic Alterations.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is an aggressive malignancy with limited treatment options and poor clinical outcomes. Kinesin light chain 1 (KLC1), a component of the kinesin-1 motor complex involved in intracellular transport, has been implicated in cancer biology; however, its role in CCA remains unclear. This study investigated the functional role and molecular alterations associated with KLC1 silencing in CCA. Analysis of publicly available datasets showed that KLC1 mRNA expression was significantly elevated in CCA tissues, and immunohistochemical images from the Human Protein Atlas demonstrated stronger KLC1 protein expression in tumor tissues. siRNA-mediated KLC1 knockdown markedly suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in KKU-213A and KKU-055 cells and altered the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition-associated proteins. Transcriptomic profiling identified 2074 differentially expressed genes following KLC1 knockdown. Functional enrichment analyses revealed significant alterations in cytoskeleton-associated processes and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling. Protein-protein interaction network analysis identified interconnected gene networks associated with these pathways. Selected differentially expressed genes were validated by RT-qPCR, supporting the transcriptomic findings. Collectively, these results suggest that KLC1 contributes to aggressive phenotypes in CCA cells and is associated with transcriptomic alterations involving cytoskeletal regulation and MAPK signaling, highlighting KLC1 as a potential contributor to CCA progression and warranting further investigation.