AAED1 modulates proliferation and glycolysis in gastric cancer

Abstract

Gastric cancer is one of the most common and lethal malignancies globally, especially in East Asia. Although significant progress has been made in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease, the overall survival rate remains unchanged at 20‑25%. Thus, there is an urgent need for a better understanding of the disease. Recent years have witnessed the critical roles of aberrant cancer cell metabolism in the maintenance of malignant properties of cancer cells, and targeting cancer cell metabolism has been regarded as a novel aspect in the development of treatments against cancer. In the present study, we identified a novel gene, AAED1 (AhpC/TSA antioxidant enzyme domain containing 1), which is upregulated in gastric cancer cells. By using lentivirus mediated transfection method, we silenced AAED1 expression and silencing of AAED1 inhibited cancer cell proliferation in vitro in gastric cancer cell lines, as demonstrated by cell viability and colony formation assay. Furthermore, we uncovered novel functions of AAED1 in regulating hypoxia inducible factor 1α (HIF1α) and the resultant aerobic glycolysis, which was measured by extracellular flux analysis. Collectively, the results of the present study uncovered novel markers that could identify the possible molecular mechanisms involved in gastric cancer.