PMEPA1 induces EMT via a non-canonical TGF-β signalling in colorectal cancer

Prostate transmembrane protein androgen induced 1 (PMEPA1) has been reported to promote cancer progression. Metastasis is the main factor leading to cancer progression and poor prognosis, and at the beginning of metastasis, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a crucial activation. However, the relationship between PMEPA1 and EMT in colorectal cancer metastasis is still poorly understood. In this study, we first testified that PMEPA1 expresses higher in tumour than normal tissue in Gene Expression Omnibus database, in the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) as well as in the clinical data we collected. Moreover, the higher expression was associated with poor prognosis. We furthermore demonstrated PMEPA1 promotes colorectal cancer metastasis and EMT in vivo and in vitro. We found that PMEPA1 activates the bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) signalling of TGF-β signalling resulting in promoting EMT and accelerating the proliferation and metastasis of colorectal cancer.