PAF remodels the DREAM complex to bypass cell quiescence and promote lung tumorigenesis.

The DREAM complex orchestrates cell quiescence and the cell cycle. However, how the DREAM complex is deregulated in cancer remains elusive. Here, we report that PAF (PCLAF/KIAA0101) drives cell quiescence exit to promote lung tumorigenesis by remodeling the DREAM complex. PAF is highly expressed in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and is associated with poor prognosis. Importantly, Paf knockout markedly suppressed LUAD development in mouse models. PAF depletion induced LUAD cell quiescence and growth arrest. PAF is required for the global expression of cell-cycle genes controlled by the repressive DREAM complex. Mechanistically, PAF inhibits DREAM complex formation by binding to RBBP4, a core DREAM subunit, leading to transactivation of DREAM target genes. Furthermore, pharmacological mimicking of PAF-depleted transcriptomes inhibited LUAD tumor growth. Our results unveil how the PAF-remodeled DREAM complex bypasses cell quiescence to promote lung tumorigenesis and suggest that the PAF-DREAM axis may be a therapeutic vulnerability in lung cancer.

KIAA0101 knockdown inhibits glioma progression and glycolysis by inactivating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway.

KIAA0101, a proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-associated factor, is reported to be overexpressed and identified as an oncogene in several human malignancies. The purpose of this study is to determine the function and possible mechanism of KIAA0101 in glioma progression. KIAA0101 expression in glioma patients was analyzed by GSE50161 and GEPIA datasets. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to evaluate the survival distributions. KIAA0101 expression in glioma cells were detected by qRT-PCR and western blot analyses. The function of KIAA0101 was investigated using MTT, flow cytometry, caspase-3 activity, and Transwell assays. Additionally, glycolytic flux was determined by measuring extracellular acidification rate (ECAR), glucose consumption, lactate production, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) level. The changes of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway were detected by western blot analysis. Results showed that KIAA0101 was upregulated in glioma tissues and cells. High KIAA0101 expression predicted a poor prognosis in glioma patients. KIAA0101 depletion impeded cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and triggered apoptosis in glioma cells. KIAA0101 silencing reduced the ECAR, glucose consumption, lactate production, and ATP level in glioma cells, suggesting that KIAA0101 knockdown inhibited glycolysis in glioma cells. Mechanistically, KIAA0101 knockdown inhibited the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. In conclusion, KIAA0101 silencing inhibited glioma progression and glycolysis by inactivating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway.

Synergistic effect of PAF inhibition and X-ray irradiation in non-small cell lung cancer cells.

PURPOSE: Proliferating cell nuclear antigen-associated factor (PAF) is involved in cancer cell growth and associated with cell death induced by ultraviolet (UV) radiation. However, the contribution of PAF to radiotherapy sensitivity in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between PAF expression and radiotherapy response in NSCLC. METHODS: Associations between PAF expression and patient survival outcomes were evaluated using publicly available online gene expression datasets. RNA interference was performed to knockdown PAF expression in the NSCLC cells. The effects of PAF knockdown on cell proliferation, migration, apoptosis, DNA damage, and activation of MEK/ERK and Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathways following X­ray irradiation were evaluated in vitro. RESULTS: PAF was found to be overexpressed in lung cancer tissues compared with normal samples, and elevated PAF expression was significantly correlated with inferior patient survival. In vitro, knockdown of PAF inhibited cell proliferation, cell apoptosis, and migration induced by X­ray irradiation. Moreover, X­ray-induced intracellular DNA strand damage was more obvious following PAF knockdown. Additionally, PAF knockdown inhibited activation of the MEK/ERK and Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathways in X­ray-irradiated A549 cells. CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate that reduced expression of PAF enhances radiosensitivity in NSCLC cells. Mechanistically, inhibition of the MEK/ERK and Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathways caused by PAF interference may lead to impaired cell function and enhance sensitivity to X­rays. Targeting PAF may therefore serve as a potential therapeutic strategy to increase the efficiency of radiotherapy in NSCLC patients, ultimately improving patient survival.

PCNA-associated factor (KIAA0101/PCLAF) overexpression and gene copy number alterations in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues.

BACKGROUND: PCNA-associated factor, the protein encoded by the KIAA0101/PCLAF gene, is a cell-cycle regulated oncoprotein that regulates DNA synthesis, maintenance of DNA methylation, and DNA-damage bypass, through the interaction with the human sliding clamp PCNA. KIAA0101/PCLAF is overexpressed in various cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, it remains unknown whether KIAA0101/PCLAF overexpression is coupled to gene amplification in HCC. METHODS: KIAA0101/PCLAF mRNA expression levels were assessed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) in 40 pairs of snap-frozen HCC and matched-non-cancerous tissues. KIAA0101/PCLAF gene copy numbers were evaluated by droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) in 36 pairs of the tissues, and protein expression was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in 81 pairs of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues. The KIAA0101/PCLAF gene copy number alteration and RNA expression was compared by Spearman correlation. The relationships between KIAA0101 protein expression and other clinicopathological parameters, including Ki-67, p53, and HBsAg protein expression in HCC tissues, were evaluated using Chi-square test. RESULTS: Our results demonstrated that KIAA0101/PCLAF mRNA levels were significantly higher in HCC than in the matched-non-cancerous tissues (p < 0.0001). The high KIAA0101/PCLAF mRNA levels in HCC were associated with poor patient survival. The KIAA0101/PCLAF gene was not amplified in HCC, and KIAA0101/PCLAF gene copy numbers were not associated with KIAA0101/PCLAF transcript levels. KIAA0101 protein was overexpressed in the majority of HCC tissues (77.8%) but was not detectable in matched-non-cancerous tissues. Significant correlations between the expression of KIAA0101 protein in HCC tissues and p53 tumor suppressor protein (p = 0.002) and Ki-67 proliferation marker protein (p = 0.017) were found. However, KIAA0101 protein levels in HCC tissues were not correlated with patient age, tumor size, serum AFP level, or the HBsAg expression. CONCLUSIONS: KIAA0101/PCLAF mRNA and protein overexpression is frequently observed in HCC but without concurrent KIAA0101/PCLAF gene amplification. Significant correlations between the expression of KIAA0101 protein and p53 and Ki-67 proteins were observed in this study. Thus, detection of KIAA0101/PCLAF mRNA/protein might be used, along with the detection of p53 and Ki-67 proteins, as potential biomarkers to select candidate patients for further studies of novel HCC treatment related to these targets.

KIAA0101 and UbcH10 interact to regulate non-small cell lung cancer cell proliferation by disrupting the function of the spindle assembly checkpoint.

BACKGROUND: Chromosome mis-segregation caused by spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) dysfunction during mitosis is an important pathogenic factor in cancer, and modulating SAC function has emerged as a potential novel therapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). UbcH10 is considered to be associated with SAC function and the pathological types and clinical grades of NSCLC. KIAA0101, which contains a highly conserved proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-binding motif that is involved in DNA repair in cancer cells, plays an important role in the regulation of SAC function in NSCLC cells, and bioinformatics predictions showed that this regulatory role is related to UbcH10. We hypothesized KIAA0101 and UbcH10 interact to mediate SAC dysfunction and neoplastic transformation during the development of USCLC. METHODS: NSCLC cell lines were used to investigate the spatial-temporal correlation between UbcH10 and KIAA0101 expression and the downstream effects of modulating their expression were evaluated. Further immunoprecipitation assays were used to investigate the possible mechanism underlying the correlation between UbcH10 and KIAA0101. Eventually, the effect of modulating UbcH10 and KIAA010 on tumor growth and its possible mechanisms were explored through in vivo tumor-bearing models. RESULTS: In this study, we demonstrated that both UbcH10 and KIAA0101 were upregulated in NSCLC tissues and cells and that their expression levels were correlated in a spatial and temporal manner. Importantly, UbcH10 and KIAA0101 coordinated to mediate the premature degradation of various SAC components to cause further SAC dysfunction and neoplastic proliferation. Moreover, tumor growth in vivo was significantly inhibited by silencing UbcH10 and KIAA0101 expression. CONCLUSIONS: KIAA0101 and UbcH10 interact to cause SAC dysfunction, chromosomal instability and malignant proliferation in NSCLC, suggesting that UbcH10 and KIAA0101 are potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of NSCLC by ameliorating SAC function.

miR-197-5p inhibits sarcomagenesis and induces cellular senescence via repression of KIAA0101.

The abnormal expressions of microRNAs (miRNAs) are known to be associated with various pathophysiological processes that lead to the development of a plethora of diseases including cancer. Among several miRNAs studied so far, miR-197 has been reported to play a vital role either as an oncogene or tumor suppressor in different cancers. However, its role in carcinogenesis of fibrosarcoma has not yet been elucidated. Therefore, the current study investigated the role of miR-197-5p, which is significantly downregulated in HT1080 fibrosarcoma cells compared to IMR90-tert fibroblast cells. The transient overexpression of miR-197-5p causes a significant decrease in viability and proliferation of fibrosarcoma cells in both concentration- and time-dependent manners. Interestingly, we did not observe any significant changes in cell cycle pattern or apoptotic cell populations, but rather noticed cellular senescence of fibrosarcoma cells upon overexpression of miR-197-5p. Further, this miRNA suppresses the metastatic properties, such as migration, invasion, and anchorage-independent growth of fibrosarcoma possibly through targeting KIAA0101, which is a proliferating cell nuclear antigen-associated factor and overexpressed in the malignancy. In nutshell, our result revealed that miR-197-5p acts as an oncosuppressor miRNA in fibrosarcoma through target regulation of KIAA0101, which can be exploited for developing RNA-based therapeutic strategies for the cure of this malignancy.

KIAA0101 inhibition suppresses cell proliferation and cell cycle progression by promoting the interaction between p53 and Sp1 in breast cancer.

KIAA0101 functions as a regulator of centrosome number in breast cancer. Here, we identify the role of KIAA0101 in breast cancer cell proliferation and cell cycle progression. KIAA0101 knockdown significantly inhibited cell growth, colony formation and G1/S phase transition. Further investigation indicated that KIAA0101 silencing suppressed the expression of CCNE2, CDK6 and CDKN1A. Luciferase reporter assay and ChIP assay demonstrated that Sp1 positively regulated the transcription of CCNE2, CDK6 and CDKN1A. KIAA0101 knockdown promoted the interaction between p53 and Sp1, inhibiting the transcriptional activation of Sp1 on CCNE2, CDK6 and CDKN1A. Knockdown of p53 counteracted the inhibitory effect of KIAA0101 knockdown on breast cancer cells proliferation and cell cycle progression while Sp1 knockdown mimicked the effect of KIAA0101 knockdown. These results suggested that KIAA0101 knockdown suppressed the cell proliferation and cell cycle progression by promoting the formation of p53/Sp1 complex in breast cancer.

KIAA0101, a target gene of miR-429, enhances migration and chemoresistance of epithelial ovarian cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer is a common type of gynecological malignancies, and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death in women in the United States. MiR-429 and KIAA0101 have been found to be involved in several human malignancies, respectively. However, the role of miR-429 and KIAA0101, and the correlation between them during development of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) remain to be investigated. METHODS: The expression of KIAA0101 in EOC tissues and cells was measured by Quantitative real-time PCR, western blot, and immunochemistry. Cell proliferation assay, colony formation assay, and transwell assay was performed to assess the role of miR-429 and KIAA0101 in regulation of proliferation, migration, and chemoresistance of EOC cells. Luciferase assay was used to test the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling activity in response to depletion of KIAA0101 and overexpression of miR-429. RESULTS: We found that KIAA0101 was upregulated in metastatic EOC tissues, compared to primary EOC tissues, and KIAA0101 was required for the migration activity and chemoresistance of EOC cells by enhancing Wnt/ß-catenin signaling. Furthermore, we revealed KIAA0101 is direct target of miR-429. Similar to knockdown of KIAA0101, overexpression of miR-429 reduced invasion and chemoresistance of EOC cells. Co-transfection of KIAA0101 partially abrogates the inhibitory effects on invasion and chemoresistance in EOC cells. CONCLUSIONS: KIAA0101, a target gene of miR-429, was upregulated in the metastatic EOC tissues, and enhanced the migration activity and chemoresistance of EOC cells. Both miR-429 and KIAA0101 may represent the potential therapeutic targets of EOC.

Beta-catenin knockdown impairs the viability of ovarian cancer cells by modulating YAP-dependent glycolysis.

OBJECTIVES: Ovarian cancer (OC) ranks fifth among the main causes of cancer-related deaths in women worldwide. PCLAF/KIAA0101 and Yes-associated protein (YAP) have been linked to several human malignant cancers, including OC. However, the roles of KIAA0101 and YAP in glycolysis-dependent OC cell proliferation remain unknown. METHODS: qRT-PCR and western blot were performed to analyze the KIAA0101 expression. Short hairpin RNA transfection was performed to silence KIAA0101 expression in cells. Cell viability and apoptosis were assayed by colony formation and flow cytometry, respectively. Glucose uptake, lactate production, and glycolytic enzyme expression were assessed to determine the level of cellular glycolysis. Phosphorylation and the nuclear localization of YAP were assessed to determine YAP activation. RESULTS: OC tissue and cell lines exhibited higher KIAA0101 expression than the non-cancerous tissues and cells. KIAA0101 silencing reduced the proliferation and increased the apoptosis of both A2780 and ES-2 OC cell lines. Furthermore, KIAA0101 depletion suppressed glycolysis and YAP activation, as evidenced by increased YAP phosphorylation and decreased nuclear localization. Reactivation of YAP was performed by administration of mitochonic acid 5 in both OC cell lines with KIAA0101 knockdown. Glucose uptake, lactate production, phosphofructokinase, pyruvate dehydrogenase beta, pyruvate kinase M2, triosephosphate isomerase 1, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, enolase 1, and lactate dehydrogenase expression levels in cells recovered after the reactivation of YAP. Additionally, YAP reactivation increased cell proliferation and inhibited apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that KIAA0101 could promote glycolysis during nasopharyngeal carcinoma development through YAP signaling activation, suggesting that KIAA0101 could serve as a target for OC treatment.

Knockdown of LINC01138 protects human chondrocytes against IL-1ß-induced damage by regulating the hsa-miR-1207-5p/KIAA0101 axis.

INTRODUCTION: Long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 1138 (LINC01138) plays a vital role in human cancers. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of LINC01138 on the progression of osteoarthritis (OA) and explore its potential mechanism of action. METHODS: The expression of LINC01138, hsa-miR-1207-5p, and KIAA0101 in OA tissues and normal tissues was analyzed using GSEA datasets and confirmed in human specimens. Human chondrocytes were treated with interleukin (IL)-1ß to establish an OA cell model. Quantitative real time PCR(qRT-PCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and western blotting analyses were performed to evaluate the role of LINC01138, hsa-miR-1207-5p, and KIAA0101 during extracellular matrix (ECM) protein degeneration and cellular inflammatory response. The target relationship was predicted using DIANA-TarBase and TargetScan. The binding effects were verified by dual-luciferase reporter assay. RESULTS: LINC01138 expression was higher in OA tissues than in normal controls. LINC01138 levels increased in chondrocytes treated with IL-1ß. Silencing of LINC01138 attenuated the IL-1ß-induced decrease in Col2α1, aggrecan, and sulphated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG), and inhibited the IL-1ß-induced increase in matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-13, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. miR-1207-5p is weakly expressed in OA tissues and cell models. The inhibition of hsa-miR-1207-5p, a target of LINC01138, attenuated the effects of LINC01138 silencing on chondrocyte ECM degeneration and inflammatory responses. Silencing KIAA0101, a target of hsa-miR-1207-5p, alleviated the effect of hsa-miR-1207-5p on chondrocyte ECM degeneration and inflammatory responses. Furthermore, silencing of KIAA0101 inhibited the JAK/STAT and Wnt signaling pathways. CONCLUSION: Silencing LINC01138 protected chondrocytes from IL-1ß-induced damage, possibly by regulating the hsa-miR-1207-5p/KIAA0101 axis.

Circ_0005231 promotes the progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma via sponging miR-383-5p and regulating KIAA0101.

BACKGROUND: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) can act as key regulators in human cancers, including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, the role and mechanism of circ_0005231 in ESCC have not previously been reported. METHODS: RNA levels and protein levels were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blot assay, respectively. Cell proliferation was assessed by colony formation assay and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay. Wound healing and transwell assays were used to assess cell migration and invasion, respectively. The intermolecular interaction was predicted by bioinformatic analysis and verified by RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), RNA pulldown and dual-luciferase reporter assays. Xenograft tumor model was used for exploring the biological function of circ_0005231 in vivo. RESULTS: Circ_0005231 was upregulated in ESCC plasma, tissues and cells. Cell proliferation, migration and invasion were significantly restrained by knockdown of circ_0005231 in ESCC cells. Circ_0005231 acted as a sponge of miR-383-5p, and circ_0005231 regulated ESCC cellular behavior by sponging miR-383-5p. Moreover, miR-383-5p directly targeted KIAA0101, and circ_0005231 positively regulated KIAA0101 expression by sponging miR-383-5p. Furthermore, circ_0005231 knockdown suppressed the malignant behavior of ESCC cells by downregulating KIAA0101. Importantly, knockdown of circ_0005231 blocked xenograft tumor growth in vivo. CONCLUSION: Circ_0005231 acted as a sponge of miR-383-5p to promote ESCC progression by upregulating KIAA0101, which provided a potential therapeutic strategy for ESCC treatment.

Increased KIAA0101 gene expression associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer (BC) has long been a major death threat facing women worldwide. With the development of comprehensive treatment methods, the prognosis of BC was improved but still unsatisfactory. This study was aimed to identify the key genes in BC tumorigenesis and investigate potential prognostic predictors. METHODS: Differential expression genes were analyzed in TCGA BRCA dataset using Genevestigator software. The expression profile of target gene was explored, and the correlations between selected genes with important clinical parameters were evaluated as well. The prognostic values of target genes were also carried out through Kaplan-Meier plotter OncoLnc and BC gene-expression miner. RESULTS: KIAA0101 gene was selected for further analysis from the differential expression genes identified. At both mRNA and protein levels, the expression of KIAA0101 in BC was higher than that in normal tissues. Further analysis indicated that overexpression of KIAA0101 was significantly correlated with worse clinical outcome parameters. KIAA0101 was highly expressed in older patients, in the luminal group, and in patients with advanced stages. Moreover, BC patients with elevated KIAA0101 expression had worse overall survival (OS), relapse-free survival (RFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) and disease-free survival (DFS). CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, KIAA0101 could be considered as a diagnostic biomarker or predictor for BC prognosis.

Kiaa0101 serves as a prognostic marker and promotes invasion by regulating p38/snail1 pathway in glioma.

BACKGROUND: Kiaa0101, a regulator of cell proliferation, is overexpressed in many malignant tumors. However, its role in promoting invasion of glioma is poorly understood. Here, we investigated the effects of Kiaa0101 on glioma invasion and elucidated the underlying mechanisms of action. METHODS: We analyzed Kiaa0101 expression using datasets from four public databases, namely TCGA, CGGA, Gravendeel and Rembrandt as well as experimentally on 123 glioma samples via western blot (WB), RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC). We further quantified migration and invasion using wound healing and transwell assays. WB, IHC and immunofluorescence (IF) were used to detect expression of invasion related markers. Moreover, we detected tumor invasion of glioma cells in vivo in 5-week-old Balb/c nude mice. RESULTS: Kiaa0101 was upregulated in glioma, relative to non-tumor brain tissues, with the expression increasing with increase in glioma grade. Kiaa0101 mRNA expression was especially enriched in isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)1 wild-type glioma. Kaplan-Meier analysis, based on the aforementioned datasets, revealed that high Kiaa0101 levels were significantly associated with worse overall survival. Besides, shRNA-mediated Kiaa0101 knockdown inhibited migration and invasion of glioma cells by reducing snail1 expression both in vitro and in vivo, whereas its upregulation enhanced malignant behaviors of these cells. Furthermore, Kiaa0101 regulated snail1 expression by activating the p38MAPK signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings strongly indicate that Kiaa0101 is a prognostic biomarker for malignant tumors, and its inhibition may be an effective strategy for treating glioma.

KIAA0101 knockdown inhibits cell proliferation and induces cell cycle arrest and cell apoptosis in chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells.

BACKGROUND: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a heterogeneous disease with intense cytogenetic aberrations. Importantly, our recent report indicated that thyroid hormone receptor interactor 13 (TRIP13) is a potential new therapeutic target in CLL. In this study, we predicted 20 TRIP13-related genes and found that KIAA0101 is a novel gene that regulates cell proliferation and the cell cycle of CLL cells. METHODS: CD19+ B cells were isolated from the peripheral blood of 26 CLL patients and 6 healthy donors through magnetic cell sorting. Cell proliferation was assessed by the CCK-8 assay. The mRNA and protein levels of genes were examined through RT-qPCR and western blot assays, respectively. Cell cycle and cell apoptosis were measured through Annexin V-based flow cytometry and the caspase 3/7 activity assay. Potential targets of KIAA0101 were identified through microarray analysis. 20 TRIP13 related genes was predicted by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA). KIAA0101-regulated functions and molecular pathways were predicted through IPA. RESULTS: KIAA0101 knockdown had the strongest inhibitory effect on CLL cell proliferation among the 20 TRIP13-related genes. KIAA0101 was highly expressed in CD19+ B cells of CLL patients. KIAA0101 knockdown induced cell cycle arrest and cell apoptosis, and inhibited FOXO1, MYD88, and TLR4 expression in CLL cells. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, we demonstrated that KIAA0101 plays a critical role in cell proliferation and the cell cycle of human CLL cells. KIAA0101 knockdown induced cell apoptosis, and reduced FOXO1, MYD88, and TLR4 expression, and may therefore be used as a therapeutic target of CLL.

Prognostic value and underlying mechanism of KIAA0101 in hepatocellular carcinoma: database mining and co-expression analysis.

Although KIAA0101 is involved in many diseases, its expression and prognostic value in HCC remain undefined. According to CCLE, KIAA0101 is highly expressed in HCC, with a weak positive correlation between copy number and gene expression. Four studies involving 760 samples in ONCOMINE report elevated KIAA0101 expression in HCC (p=3.11E-22). The KM plotter revealed high KIAA0101 expression to be associated with worse overall survival in HCC (HR=2.09, p=4.1e-05); this prognostic power was stronger for male than female, early-stage than advanced-stage, and Asian than Caucasian patients. RNA sequencing data for 8 pairs of HCC and adjacent tissue samples validated the significantly high KIAA0101 level (p=0.00497). Moreover, functional annotations of 31 KIAA0101-coexpressed genes show enrichment of terms associated with mitosis, cytoskeleton construction, and chromosome segregation. Among 9 genes having STRING-validated protein-protein interactions with KIAA0101, two are involved in virus-related pathways. Alternative splicing analysis indicated higher expression of variant 1 and variant 2 in HCC and no significant differences in exon usage of KIAA0101 between cancer and normal tissues. These findings support that KIAA0101 is a potential prognostic biomarker for HCC and highlight the association between virus infection and the mechanism underlying the process by which KIAA0101 contributes to poor prognosis of patients.

Overexpression of KIAA0101 Promotes the Progression of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer related death worldwide, with a continue-rising incidence. The proliferating cell nuclear antigen binding protein KIAA0101 is highly expressed in various types of cancer, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, its biological role and underlying mechanisms in NSCLC remains unclear. We downloaded KIAA0101 mRNA and clinical data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), and verified the KIAA0101 expression by conducting experiments of immunochemistry (IHC), immunofluorescence (IF), quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and western-blot. Functional experiments were performed to explore the biological roles in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that KIAA0101 was overexpressed in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. High KIAA0101 expression was associated with high T stage, nodal invasion, advanced tumor stage, and poor overall survival (P<0.01). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves showed that KIAA0101 could distinguish NSCLC from paired normal tissues with statistical significance (AUC=0.969, P<0.001). The multivariate analysis revealed that KIAA0101 was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival (HR=1.249, 95% CI: 1.001-1.559, P=0.049). Furthermore, KIAA0101 knockdown induced G1 phase cell cycle arrest and inhibited NSCLC cell proliferation and migration. We also found that the depletion of KIAA0101 decreased tumor volume in nude mice. In summary, our findings suggested that KIAA0101 was a reliable diagnostic and prognostic factor in NSCLC, with potential to be a promising treatment target.

PCNA-associated factor KIAA0101 transcriptionally induced by ELK1 controls cell proliferation and apoptosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: an integrated bioinformatics and experimental study.

KIAA0101, previously identified as PCNA-associated factor, is overexpressed among almost majority of human cancers and has emerged as an important regulator of cancer progression; however, its function in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remain unknown. Integrated bioinformatics approaches were employed to determine the KIAA0101 expressions in the NPC samples. Lentiviral vectors carrying KIAA0101 shRNA were constructed and stable transfected cells were validated by qRT-PCR and western blot. Cellular functions were then evaluated by MTT, colony formation, Brdu staining, and flow cytometry. Mechanistic studies were systematically investigated by UCSC Genome Browser, GEO, UALCAN, QIAGEN, PROMO and JASPAR, ChIP, and the cBioPortal, et al. The results showed that KIAA0101 ranked top overexpressed gene lists in GSE6631 dataset. KIAA0101 was highly expressed in NPC tissues and cell lines. Furthermore, knockdown of KIAA0101 significantly inhibited cell proliferation and DNA replication, promoted apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in vitro. Meanwhile, the mechanistic study revealed that MAP kinase phosphorylation-dependent activation of ELK1 may enhance neighbor gene expressions of KIAA0101 and TRIP4 by binding both promotor regions in the NPC cells. Taken together, our findings indicate that overexpression of KIAA0101 activated by MAP kinase phosphorylation-dependent activation of ELK1 may play an important role in NPC progression.

MicroRNA­216a­5p suppresses esophageal squamous cell carcinoma progression by targeting KIAA0101.

The KIAA0101 protein (also referred to as NS5ATP9 or Paf15) is overexpressed in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and is associated with disease progression and poor patient survival, but how KIAA0101 expression is regulated remains unknown. The relationship between tumor miR­216a­5p expression and prognosis in patients with ESCC was revealed by survival analyses. Quantitative reverse­transcriptase PCR and western blot analysis were used to evaluate miR­216a­5p and KIAA0101 expression in human ESCC tissues and cell lines. The targeting of KIAA0101 by miR­216a­5p was verified by dual­luciferase reporter assays. The EC9706 and TE1 cell lines were transfected with miR­216a­5p mimics and inhibitor, or KIAA0101­specific shRNA and KIAA0101­expressing plasmids, in order to evaluate the effect of manipulating miR­216a­5p and KIAA0101 expression on ESCC cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, migration, and invasion. miR­216a­5p was lowly expressed and inversely correlated with KIAA0101 protein expression in ESCC tissues and cell lines. Lower miR­216a­5p expression was associated with worse prognosis in patients with ESCC. miR­216a­5p negatively regulated KIAA0101 expression by directly targeting the 3'­untranslated region of the KIAA0101 mRNA. Overexpression of miR­216a­5p suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of the ESCC cell lines, whereas inhibition of miR­216a­5p had the opposite effects. Meanwhile, KIAA0101 promoted ESCC migration and invasion, and its overexpression abolished the antitumor effects of miR­216a­5p mimics. As a tumor suppressor, miR­216a­5p targets KIAA0101 to inhibit the proliferation, migration, and invasion of ESCC. Therefore, the miR­216a­5p/KIAA0101 axis may be a potential target for ESCC treatment.

KIAA0101 as a new diagnostic and prognostic marker, and its correlation with gene regulatory networks and immune infiltrates in lung adenocarcinoma.

Proliferating cell nuclear antigen binding factor (encoded by KIAA0101/PCLAF) regulates DNA synthesis and cell cycle progression; however, whether the level of KIAA0101 mRNA in lung adenocarcinoma is related to prognosis and tumor immune infiltration is unknown. In patients with lung adenocarcinoma, the differential expression of KIAA0101 was analyzed using the Oncomine, GEPIA, and Ualcan databases. The prognosis of patients with different KIAA0101 expression levels was evaluated using databases such as Prognostan and GEPIA. Tumor immune infiltration associated with KIAA0101 was analyzed using TISIDB. Linkedmics was used to perform gene set enrichment analysis of KIAA0101. KIAA0101 expression in lung adenocarcinoma tissues was higher than that in normal lung tissues. Patients with lung adenocarcinoma with low KIAA0101 expression had a better prognosis than those with high KIAA0101 expression. We constructed the gene regulatory network of KIAA0101 in lung adenocarcinoma. KIAA0101 appeared to play an important role in the regulation of tumor immune infiltration and targeted therapy in lung adenocarcinoma. Thus, KIAA0101 mRNA levels correlated with the diagnosis, prognosis, immune infiltration, and targeted therapy in lung adenocarcinoma. These results provide new directions to develop diagnostic criteria, prognostic evaluation, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy for lung adenocarcinoma.

KIAA0101 is a novel transcriptional target of FoxM1 and is involved in the regulation of hepatocellular carcinoma microvascular invasion by regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths due to tumor invasiveness, frequent intrahepatic dissemination and extrahepatic metastasis. However, the genes and signaling pathways that are involved remain incompletely understood. In this study, weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) was performed to jointly analyze clinical information and gene expression data to identify key genes associated with clinical features. Through the bioinformatic analysis, the yellow module and microvascular invasion (MVI) were found to be highly associated (r=0.41) by Pearson's correlation analysis, and 20 hub genes were identified with both high gene significance (GS) and high module membership (MM) in the yellow module. Among these genes, FoxM1 and KIAA0101 were upregulated in HCC with MVI and were significantly positively correlated in HCC samples, indicating a novel regulatory network in HCC microvascular invasion. Moreover, in vitro experiments demonstrated that KIAA0101 is a direct target of FoxM1 and that KIAA0101 is required for the FoxM1-induced promotion of HCC cell invasion and migration. In addition, the FoxM1-KIAA0101 axis promotes HCC metastasis by inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). In summary, KIAA0101 is a novel target of FoxM1 and contributes to HCC metastasis by activating EMT. The FoxM1-KIAA0101 axis might be applied as a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for HCC.