Knockdown of activated Cdc42-associated kinase inhibits human extravillous trophoblast migration and invasion and decreases protein expression of pho-Akt and matrix metalloproteinase

AbstractIntroduction: The sufficient invasion and migration of human extravillous trophoblast (EVTs) cells are crucial for placentation. Inadequate invasion of trophoblasts may correlate with the development of preeclampsia. Many studies have suggested that activated Cdc42-associated kinase (ACK1) is associated with tumor metastasis and invasion. This study investigated the ACK1 expression and its function in trophoblasts during placental development.Methods: ACK1 expression in human placentas was determined through immunofluorescence. We investigated the migration/invasion of the immortalized human first-trimester EVT cell line HTR8/SVneo. Hypoxia–reoxygenation (H/R) conditions were applied to mimic preeclampsia model in vitro. Lentiviral vector-based short-hairpin RNA directed against the sequence of ACK1 (ACK1 shRNA) was used to knock down ACK1 expression in HTR8/SVneo cells. Cell apoptosis and proliferation were determined through flow cytometry and cell counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assays, respectively. Th...