KIF1B promotes glioma migration and invasion via cell surface localization of MT1-MMP

Malignant glioma is notorious for its aggressiveness and poor prognosis, and the invasiveness of glioma cells is the major obstacle. Accumulating evidence indicates that kinesin superfamily proteins (KIFs) may play key roles in tumor invasiveness, but the mechanisms remained unresolved. Our previous study demonstrated that membrane type 1-matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) was involved in Kinesin family member 1B (KIF1B)-modulated invasion of gastric cancer cells. Therefore, the role of KIF1B in glioma cell invasion and its relationship with MT1-MMP were explored in the present study. We found that aberrantly increased expression of KIF1B was associated with worse WHO pathological classification and Karnofsky performance status (KPS), which also showed a trend towards worse prognosis. In the Transwell assay, knockdown of KIF1B using siRNA repressed U87MG and A172 glioma cell migration and invasion. Silencing KIF1B inhibited expression of membranal MT1-MMP; however, the amount of MT1-MMP in the whole cell lysate was not affected. In conclusion, targeting KIF1B may be an option for anti-invasive therapies targeting glioma.