Effects of HMGA2 on the biological characteristics and stemness acquisition of gastric cancer cells

• Published in: Arab journal of gastroenterology 2024-05, Vol.25 (2), p.135-142
• Main Authors: Kong, Dequan, Zha, Lang, Yao, Yaben, Zhang, Zhenyu, Gao, Jun, Zhang, Rui, Chen, Lei, Wang, Ziwei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Movement - genetics; Cell Proliferation; HMGA2; HMGA2 Protein - genetics; HMGA2 Protein - metabolism; Humans; Invasiveness; Migration; Neoplasm Invasiveness; Neoplastic Stem Cells - metabolism; Neoplastic Stem Cells - pathology; Proliferation; Stem acquisition; Stomach Neoplasms - genetics; Stomach Neoplasms - metabolism; Stomach Neoplasms - pathology
• ISSN: 1687-1979; 2090-2387; 2090-2387
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ajg.2024.01.001

The high mobility group A2 (HMGA2), a nonhistone nuclear binding protein, modulates transcription by altering the chromatin architecture of the target gene DNA in its specific AT-hooks region. HMGA2 overexpression has been observed in embryonic tissue and many malignant neoplasms. This study sought to verify whether HMGA2 plays a role in the biological functions of gastric cancer cells, such as cell proliferation, invasiveness, migration, and stem cell acquisition, and to provide some ideas for further research on the metastatic mechanism of gastric cancer. HMGA2′s effects on the proliferation, invasiveness, and migration capabilities of gastric cancer cells were individually detected by BrdU, Transwell, and wound healing assays. Western blotting and immunofluorescence were used to evaluate whether HMGA2 could promote the acquisition of gastric cancer cells. Biostatistical analyses were performed using SPSS 17.0 for Windows. HMGA2 expression levels in gastric cancer cell lines were significantly higher than those in human immortalized gastric epithelial cell lines (p