Up-regulation Of EEF1A2Promotes Proliferation And Inhibits Apoptosis In Prostate Cancer

BackgroundeEF1A2is a protein translation factor involved in protein synthesis, which possesses important function roles in cancer development. This study aims at investigating the expression pattern of eEF1A2in prostate cancer and its potential role in prostate cancer development.MethodsWe examined the expression level of eEF1A2in30pairs of prostate cancer tissues by using RT-PCR and immunohistochemical staining (IHC). Then we applied siRNA specifically targeting eEF1A2to down-regulate its expression in DU-145and PC-3cells. Flow cytometer was used to explore apoptosis and Western-blot was used to detect the pathway proteins of apoptosis. ResultsOur results showed that the expression level of eEFlA2in prostate cancer tissues was significantly higher compared to their corresponding normal tissues. Reduction of eEF1A2expression in DU-145and PC-3cells led to a dramatic inhibition of proliferation accompanied with enhanced apoptosis rate. Western blot revealed that apoptosis pathway proteins (cleavage-caspase3, BAD, BAX, PUMA) were significantly up-regulated after suppression of eEF1A2. More importantly, the levels of eEF1A2and caspase3were inversely correlated in prostate cancer tissues.ConclusionOur data suggests that eEF1A2plays an important role in prostate cancer development, especially in inhibiting apoptosis. So eEF1A2might serve as a potential therapeutic target in prostate cancer.