Zinc finger protein 91 accelerates tumour progression by activating β-catenin signalling in pancreatic cancer.

Objectives ZFP91, an E3 ligase, has been reported to possess cancer-promoting functions. This study aimed to elucidate the exact role of ZFP91 in tumour progression of pancreatic cancer and underlying mechanisms. Materials and methods We analysed the correlation between ZFP91 expression and pancreatic cancer through TCGA and GEO data sets. Growth curve, colony formation, wound healing and transwell invasion assays were conducted to evaluate proliferation, migration and invasion of lentivirus transfected pancreatic cancer cells. GSEA and Western blot analysis were performed to validate the regulatory effect of ZFP91 on β-catenin. Drug response curve and orthotopic implantation model reflected the sensitivity of chemotherapies. Results ZFP91 overexpression is prevalent in pancreatic cancer and negatively correlated with overall survival. ZFP91 knock-down attenuated proliferation, migration and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells. β-catenin was a downstream gene of ZFP91, and its agonist could reverse the phenotype. ZFP91 promoted EMT and chemoresistance in pancreatic cancer. Conclusions We demonstrated that ZFP91 promoted pancreatic cancer proliferation, migration and invasion through activating β-catenin signalling. EMT and chemoresistance were also regulated by ZFP91. ZFP91 might be a potential therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer.