In vitro and in vivo effects of short hairpin RNA targeting integrin-linked kinase in prostate cancer cells

: Integrin-linked kinase (ILK) localizes at focal adhesion sites, plays an important role in cell-matrix interactions and is involved in the regulation of tumor cell growth and migration. The aim of the present study was to clarify the functional characterization of ILK in prostate cancer (PCa) cells. ILK was shown to be overexpressed in 57.1% (36/63) of PCa samples and 18.2% (2/11) of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) samples using immunohistochemical analysis. DU145 PCa cells knocked down for ILK were examined using western blot analysis, proliferation assay, flow cytometry and wound healing assay. Depletion of ILK significantly impaired cell growth and motility, induced apoptosis in vitro, and delayed xenograft tumor proliferation in nude mice, which were important for oncogenesis and tumor progression. Western blot analysis showed that Akt activity was attenuated in ILK‑depleted cells compared with the control cells. These results indicate that ILK knockdown attenuates the biological behavior of PCa cells by decreasing Akt activity, demonstrating that ILK is involved in the development and progression of PCa. Thus, ILK is suggested to serve as a potential therapeutic target for PCa.