Purpose: Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common malignant solid bone tumor in children and young adults. We aimed to investigate the effects and cellular mechanisms of KMT5A on OS cell activity.
Methods: The protein expression was evaluated in the clinical normal, adjacent and OS osteogenic tissues. Knockdown of KMT5A was achieved by KMT5A siRNAs in a human OS cell line, MG63, to detect cell proliferation and metastasis.
Results: KMT5A expression was upregulated in clinical OS tissues. Knockdown of KMT5A inhibited cell proliferation but enhanced cell death, with significantly reduced cyclinD1 and Bcl2 and increased cleaved-caspase9 levels. KMT5A knockdown also suppressed OS cell migration and invasion capacity and deceased MMP3 and vimentin expression. β-catenin levels were upregulated in OS tissues and blocking KMT5A resulted in a significant decline in β-catenin expression in the OS cells. Further administration of β-catenin activator remarkably increased protein levels of KMT5A, cyclinD1, Bcl2, MMP3, and vimentin, which showed reversed effects of KMT5A knockdown on OS cell activity.
Conclusion: KMT5A knockdown plays an inhibitory role in OS cell proliferation and metastasis through β-catenin signalling, which provides basic evidence and suggests potential targets for OS therapeutic research.
Keywords: KMT5A; osteosarcoma; cell proliferation; metastasis; β-catenin.