NPTX1 inhibits colon cancer cell proliferation through down-regulating cyclin A2 and CDK2 expression

Colon cancer is the third most common malignancy and one of the leading causes of cancer-associated mortality worldwide. Neuronal pentraxin 1 (NPTX1) is associated with tumor progression in some types of tumors. However, its expression and role in colon cancer has not been yet reported. Here we observed that NPTX1 was down-regulated in colon cancer. Additionally, we explored the functional significance of NPTX1 in colon cancer. We found that over-expression of NPTX1 inhibited colon cancer cell growth by performing MTT, colony formation, Edu corporation assays, and cell cycle analysis. In vivo mouse experiments also confirmed the anti-proliferative role of NPTX1 in colon cancer. Further mechanistic study showed that over-expression of NPTX1 inhibited the expression of cyclin A2 and CDK2 in colon cancer cells, thereby regulating the Rb-E2F signaling. In summary, these findings reveal that NPTX1 suppress the colon cancer cell growth and might serve as a useful potential target for treatment of colon cancer.