Low Arid1a Expression Correlates with Poor Prognosis and Promotes Cell Proliferation and Metastasis in Osteosarcoma

AT-rich interactive domain-containing protein 1A (ARID1A) has been shown to function as a tumour suppressor in various malignancies. However, the biological role of ARID1A in osteosarcoma is not clear. The present study aimed to investigate the expression pattern, prognostic value and the biological role of ARID1A in human osteosarcoma. ARID1A expression in 53 osteosarcoma surgical specimens was examined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, and its clinical significance was analysed. The role of ARID1A in cell proliferation, apoptosis, and metastasis were examined. ARID1A mRNA expression were significantly down-regulated in osteosarcoma tumours from that in matched adjacent non-tumour tissues. ARID1A expression was significantly inversely correlated with tumour stage and distant metastasis, as well as poor overall survival in patients with osteosarcoma. Furthermore, ARID1A mRNA was down-regulated in four human osteosarcoma cell lines MG-63, U2OS, HOS and Saos-2. Restoring of ARID1A expression in MG-63 and U2OS cells significantly inhibited cell proliferation and metastasis in vitro. Collectively, our data demonstrate that ARID1A may serve as a tumour suppressor in osteosarcoma progression, and represent a valuable prognostic marker and potential therapeutic target for osteosarcoma.