PRSS2 overexpression relates to poor prognosis and promotes proliferation, migration and invasion in gastric cancer

Serine protease 2 (PRSS2) plays a pivotal role in tumor pathogenesis as a serine protease. In this paper, we investigated the expression and role of PRSS2 in gastric cancer (GC). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), western blotting and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were performed to detect PRSS2 expression in GC tissues. The correlations between PRSS2 and clinicopathological variables and prognosis were analyzed. The effects of PRSS2 on gastric cancer in vitro and in vivo were detected by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8), colony formation assay, migration and invasion test, and nude mouse experiment. We observed that the PRSS2 mRNA and protein levels were upregulated in GC tissues, and PRSS2 expression was associated with GC N stage. Patients with high PRSS2 expression have a poor prognosis. Finally, the regulatory effect of PRSS2 on the biological behaviors of GC cells was assessed in GC cells transfected with lentiviral interference fragments of PRSS2. The results suggested that PRSS2 knockdown decreased the proliferation, migration and invasion of GC cells and downregulated MMP-9 expression. In summary, PRSS2 overexpression is associated with poor postoperative prognosis in GC patients and can be used as a potential biomarker to assess the prognosis of GC.