KLF5 facilitates lung adenocarcinoma metastasis by regulating the epithelial-mesenchymal transition pathway through RHPN2.

BACKGROUND

Distant metastasis is a primary factor contributing to the significantly shorter survival time of patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma. The transcription factor Kruppel-like factor 5 (KLF5) facilitates the progression of lung adenocarcinoma. However, the specific mechanism by which KLF5 is involved in the tumor metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma metastasis remains largely unclear.

METHODS

Using bioinformatic analysis, Rhophilin Rho GTPase Binding Protein 2 (RHPN2) was identified as a potential downstream target gene for KLF5; it plays a crucial role in the regulation of the epithelial-mesenchymal transformation pathway in lung adenocarcinoma. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry were performed to examine RHPN2 expression in lung adenocarcinoma. In vivo and in vitro experiments were conducted to explore the regulatory role of RHPN2 on the cell growth and metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma. Chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing was used to analyze the direct binding activity between KLF5 and RHPN2 promoter regions. Luciferase activity assay was performed to verify the transcriptional activation effect of KLF5 on RHPH2.

RESULTS

RHPN2 was highly expressed in lung adenocarcinoma; patients with lung adenocarcinoma who showed high RHPN2 expression had a poor prognosis. In vivo and in vitro experiments showed that RHPN2 promoted cell growth and metastasis and activated the epithelial-mesenchymal transformation pathway in lung adenocarcinoma. KLF5 directly bound to the promoter region of RHPN2 and upregulated its expression in lung adenocarcinoma through transcriptional activation. In addition, rescue experiments confirmed that KLF5 facilitated the progression of lung adenocarcinoma in an RHPN2-dependent manner.

CONCLUSION

Our study offers insights into the potential mechanisms of metastasis in lung adenocarcinoma and highlights RHPN2 as a potential therapeutic target.