Silencing of MAP4K4 by short hairpin RNA suppresses proliferation, induces G1 cell cycle arrest and induces apoptosis in gastric cancer cells

Gastric cancer (GC) is the second most common cause of cancer-associated mortality worldwide. Previous studies suggest that mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase kinase isoform 4 (MAP4K4) is involved in cancer cell growth, apoptosis and migration. In the present study, bioinformatics analysis and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction were performed to determine if MAP4K4 was overexpressed in GC. The knockdown of MAP4K4 by RNA interference in GC cells markedly inhibited cell proliferation, which may be mediated by cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase. The silencing of MAP4K4 also induced cell apoptosis by increasing the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2. In addition, Notch signaling was markedly reduced by MAP4K4 silencing. The results of the present study suggested that inhibition of MAP4K4 may be a therapeutic strategy for GC.