Identification of FEZ2 as a potential oncogene in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Abstract

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the common malignant tumors with high lethal rate and poor prognosis. Dysregulation of many genes have been reported to be involved in the occurrence and development of PDAC. However, as a highly conserved gene in eukaryotes, the role of Fasciculation and Elongation protein Zeta 2 (FEZ2) in pancreatic cancer progression is not clear. In this study, we identified the oncogenic effect of FEZ2 on PDAC. By mining of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, we found that FEZ2 was upregulated in PDAC tissues and FEZ2 expression was negatively regulated by its methylation. Moreover, high expression and low methylation of FEZ2 correlated with poor prognosis in PDAC patients. Besides, we found that FEZ2 could promote PDAC cells proliferation, migration and 5-FU resistance in vitro. Furthermore, Gene pathway enrichment analysis demonstrated a positive correlation between Wnt signaling activation and FEZ2 expression in PDAC patients. Western blot showed that FEZ2 knockdown significantly suppressed β-catenin expression. Collectively, our finding revealed that FEZ2 functioned as a potential oncogene on PDAC progression and migration, and the expression of FEZ2 had guidance value for the treatment and chemotherapy program of PDAC patients.