Knockdown of Trio by CRISPR/Cas9 suppresses migration and invasion of cervical cancer cells

Abstract

Triple functional domain protein (Trio) is an evolutionarily conserved protein with guanine nucleotide exchange factors that regulate different physiological processes in some types of cancer. However, the expression and function of Trio in cervical cancer are still unknown. The purpose of this study was to detect the expression of Trio in cervical cancer tissues and to evaluate its clinical value. Furthermore, the effects of the Trio on the migration and invasion of cervical cancer cells and its mechanism were investigated in vitro. The results of the present study revealed that Trio expression levels were significantly higher in most of the clinical cervical cancer samples than in adjacent tissues. The clinicopathological significance of Trio expression was also analyzed, and the results revealed that high expression levels in cervical cancer were correlated with lymph node metastasis (P=0.005). The CRISPR/Cas9 system was used to knockdown the endogenous Trio. The inhibition of Trio significantly decreased the migration and invasion abilities of cervical cancer cells. Meanwhile, levels of RhoA/ROCK signaling factors (RhoA, Rock, and p-LIMK), which contributed to cell migration and invasion, were decreased along with the inhibition of Trio. Therefore, Trio may regulate the migration and invasion of cervical cancer through the RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway.