RNF6 activates TGF-β1/c-Myb pathway to promote EMT in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Objective This study aimed to investigate RING-Finger Protein 6 (RNF6) expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cells and whether it affects cell proliferation, invasion, and migration by regulating the TGF-beta 1/c-Myb pathway.Methods TCGA database was used to analyze RNF6 expression in normal tissues and esophageal cancer tissues. Kaplan-Meier method was used to examine the correlation between RNF6 expression and patient prognosis. SiRNA interference vector and RNF6 overexpression plasmid were constructed, and RNF6 was transfected into Eca-109 and KYSE-150 esophageal cancer cell line. In vitro scratch assay and Transwell assay were conducted to investigate the effects of RNF6 on the migration and invasion of Eca-109 and KYSE-150 cells. RT-PCR detected the expression of Snail, E-cadherin, and N-cadherin, and TUNEL detected the apoptosis of cells.Results RNF6 up-regulation promoted the progression of esophageal cancer and predicted poor prognosis. RNF6 also enhanced the migration and invasion of ESCC cells in vitro. RNF6 silencing inhibited the migration and invasion of ESCC cells. TGF-beta inhibitors reversed the oncogenic effects of RNF6. RNF6 regulated the migration and invasion of ESCC cells by activating the TGF-beta pathway. RNF6/TGF-beta 1 promoted esophageal cancer progression through c-Myb.Conclusion RNF6 promotes the proliferation, invasion, and migration of ESCC cells possibly by activating the TGF-beta 1/c-Myb pathway and affects the progression of ESCC.

Automated summary

This study investigated the expression of RING-Finger Protein 6 (RNF6) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cells and its impact on cell proliferation, invasion, and migration through the TGF-beta 1/c-Myb pathway. The results showed that up-regulation of RNF6 promoted the progression of esophageal cancer and predicted poor prognosis. Silencing RNF6 inhibited the migration and invasion of ESCC cells. RNF6 regulated ESCC cell migration and invasion by activating the TGF-beta pathway and promoting esophageal cancer progression through c-Myb.