Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells (BMSCs) Promote the Metastasis of Thyroid Papillary Cancer by Inhibiting Poly-Pyrimidine Tract Binding Protein 1 (PTBP1)

Abstract

We aimed to explore the mechanism underlying the role of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in the invasion of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) cells. BMSCs were co-cultured with PTC cells WRO or normal thyroid follicular epithelial cells T3TD followed by analysis of cell migration and proliferation by Transwell assay and MTT assay. Cells were transfected with shRNA or overexpression of PTBP1, followed by measuring cell proliferation and invasion and PTBP1 expression by RT-qPCR and Western blot. Co-cultivation with MSC promoted the malignant transformation of WRO, inhibited the RNA-binding protein PTBP1 and activation of GS3Kβ/Akt. In addition, silencing of PTBP1 accelerated cell invason and induced overexpression of EMT proteins, while overexpression of PTBP1 inhibited cell proliferation and migration. In conclusion, BMSCs might promote PTC invasion and metastasis by inhibiting PTBP1 expression, providing a novel insight into the treatment of PTC.