CTHRC1 promotes the progression of clear cell renal cell carcinoma via the PI3K/AKT/GSK3β signaling pathway

CTHRC1 is a tumor-associated protein involved in the remodeling of solid tumor tissue and closely related to tumor development. The character of CTHRC1 in ccRCC is unknown.With the purpose of investigating its role in ccRCC, a variety of analytical methods were used in this study. RT-qPCR and WB experiments were used to measure CTHRC1 expression in ccRCC. CTHRC1 was knocked down in tumor cells using siRNA and verified by RT-qPCR and WB. The functions of CTHRC1 in ccRCC cells were studied by CCK8, EdU, Transwell, and wound healing assays. The results showed that the proliferation and metastasis capacity of ccRCC would be inhibited by knocking down CTHRC1. The effect of CTHRC1 on ccRCC was studied in vivo with a nude mouse tumor transplantation model. By a bioinformatics approach, we learned that CTHRC1 was abundantly expressed in ccRCC tissues and was closely related to the prognosis of ccRCC patients. The GSEA results showed that CTHRC1 may be associated with EMT, which is regulated by the pathway of PI3K/AKT/GSK3β in ccRCC. In conclusion, CTHRC1 may be a promising therapeutic target for ccRCC by mediating the PI3K/AKT/GSK3β pathway.