[Elevated TMCO1 expression in gastric cancer is associated poor prognosis and promotes malignant phenotypes of tumor cells by inhibiting apoptosis].

[OBJECTIVES] To investigate the impact of high expression of transmembrane and coiled helix structural domain 1 (TMCO1) on prognosis of gastric cancer and the possible mechanisms.

[METHODS] TMCO1 expression in gastric cancer and its effect on gastric cancer progression and prognosis were analyzed using publicly available databases and clinical data of patients undergoing radical surgery in our hospital, and its possible biological functions were explored using KEGG and GO analyses. In gastric cancer HGC-27 cells, the effects of lentivirus-mediated TMCO1 overexpression and TMCO1 silencing on cell apoptosis, proliferation, invasion and migration were examined.

[RESULTS] TMCO1 expression was significantly elevated in gastric cancer tissues (<0.05), and its high expression was positively correlated with cancer progression (<0.001) and a lowered postoperative 5-year survival rate of the patients (<0.05). Bioinformatic analyses suggested that TMCO1 may affect gastric cancer cell apoptosis via Wnt signaling. In HGC-27 cells, TMCO1 overexpression significantly promoted tumor cell proliferation, inhibited cell apoptosis, and enhanced cell migration and invasion, whereas TMCO1 silencing produced the opposite effects. Western blotting showed that β-catenin levels were significantly upregulated in TMCO1-overexpressing cells and downregulated in cells with TMCO1 silencing.

[CONCLUSIONS] TMCO1 is overexpressed in gastric cancer tissues, and its high expression promotes gastric cancer progression and affects long-term prognosis of the patients possibly by activating the Wnt/ β-catenin signaling pathway to inhibit apoptosis of gastric cancer cells.