The oncogenic role of hypomethylated ZNF793 in gastric carcinoma: a focus on cell survival and stemness.

BACKGROUND

Although genome-wide promoter CpG island hypermethylation of Epstein-Barr virus-associated gastric carcinoma (EBV GC) is well known, ZNF793 is rarely methylated in EBV GC but is frequently methylated in other molecular subtypes of GC, including microsatellite instability-high GC. Based on the hypothesis that ZNF793 may be important for cell survival and stemness in EBV GC, the oncogenic role of ZNF793 was investigated.

METHODS

ZNF793 expression was knocked out and then restored in EBV and non-EBV GC cell lines, and its effects on cell proliferation, cell migration, cell invasion, tumor sphere formation, and xenograft tumor formation were assessed.

RESULTS

ZNF793 knockout significantly suppressed the migration, invasion, proliferation, and stemness in GC cells with ZNF793 expression. Additionally, ZNF793 knockout significantly inhibited tumor growth in a xenograft tumor model.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that ZNF793 plays an oncogenic role in not only EBV GC but also other subtypes of GC and may be a potential therapeutic target.