Abstract
The CKLF-like MARVEL transmembrane domain-containing 3 (CMTM3), a member of the CMTM family, was found in several human tumors and plays an important role in the development and progression of tumors. However, the role of CMTM3 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains largely unknown. Thus, in the present study, we explored its expression pattern in human HCC cell lines, as well as its functions in HCC cells. Our results demonstrated that the expression of CMTM3 is lowly expressed in HCC cell lines. In vitro, we found that overexpression of CMTM3 obviously inhibited the proliferation, invasion, and EMT process in HCC cells. Furthermore, overexpression of CMTM3 significantly downregulated the expression levels of phosphorylation of JAK2 and STAT3 in HepG2 cells. In vivo, overexpression of CMTM3 attenuated the tumor growth in Balb/c nude mice. In conclusion, we demonstrated that CMTM3 could play an important role in HCC metastasis by EMT induction via, at least partially, suppressing the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. Therefore, CMTM3 may serve as a potential molecular target in the prevention and/or treatment of HCC invasion and metastasis.