Troponin T1 Promotes the Proliferation of Ovarian Cancer by Regulating Cell Cycle and Apoptosis.

BACKGROUND: Troponin T1 (TNNT1) is implicated in human carcinogenesis. However, the role of TNNT1 in ovarian cancer (OC) remains unclear.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of TNNT1 on the progression of ovarian cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The level of TNNT1 was evaluated in OC patients based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Knockdown or overexpression of TNNT1 using siRNA targeting TNNT1 or plasmid carrying TNNT1 was performed in the ovarian cancer SKOV3 cell, respectively. RT-qPCR was performed to detect mRNA expression. Western blotting was used to examine protein expression. Cell Counting Kit-8, colony formation, cell cycle, and transwell assays were performed to analyze the role of TNNT1 on the proliferation and migration of ovarian cancer. Besides, xenograft model was carried out to evaluate the in vivo effect of TNNT1 on OC progression.

RESULTS: Based on available bioinformatics data in TCGA, we found that TNNT1 was overexpressed in ovarian cancer samples comparing to normal samples. Knocking down TNNT1 repressed the migration as well as the proliferation of SKOV3 cells, while overexpression of TNNT1 exhibited opposite effect. In addition, down-regulation of TNNT1 hampered the xenografted tumor growth of SKOV3 cells. Up-regulation of TNNT1 in SKOV3 cells induced the expression of Cyclin E1 and Cyclin D1, promoted cell cycle progression, and also suppressed the activity of Cas-3/Cas-7.

CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, TNNT1 overexpression promotes SKOV3 cell growth and tumorigenesis by inhibiting cell apoptosis and accelerating cell-cycle progression. TNNT1 might be a potent biomarker for the treatment of ovarian cancer.