Abstract
To explore the expression, clinical significance, biological function, and potential mechanism of MEF2D in pancreatic cancer, the expression of MEF2D in human pancreatic cancer tissues and corresponding adjacent normal tissues was analyzed through immunohistochemical staining. The association between MEF2D expression, clinicopathological parameters, overall survival, and disease-free survival was evaluated. Human pancreatic cancer cell lines BxPC-1 and SW1990 were selected to investigate the effect of MEF2D knockdown on cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Western blot analysis was used to assess the effect of MEF2D expression on the Akt/GSK pathway, as well as the protein expression of cyclin B1, cyclin D1, matrix metalloprotein (MMP)-2, and MMP-9. Our results revealed that the expression of MEF2D was increased in pancreatic cancer tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues and the increased expression of MEF2D was associated with tumor size, histological differentiation, and TNM stage of pancreatic cancer patients. Moreover, the expression of MEF2D was an independent prognostic indicator for pancreatic cancer patients. In addition, knockdown of MEF2D in pancreatic cancer cells inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion by down-regulating the protein expression of cyclin B1, cyclin D1, MMP-2, and MMP-9. Knockdown of MEF2D reduced the levels of phosphorylated Akt and GSK-3β. Our data indicated that MEF2D expression was increased in pancreatic cancer and was an independent molecular prognostic factor for pancreatic cancer patients. Furthermore, we showed that MEF2D controlled cell proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities in pancreatic cancer via the Akt/GSK-3β signaling pathway.