Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 subunit G promotes human colorectal cancer

In this study, we investigated the role of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 subunit G (EIF3G) in colorectal cancer. Immunohistochemical analysis showed higher EIF3G expression in stage IV human colorectal cancer tissues than in adjacent normal tissues (P<0.01). EIF3G short hairpin RNA (shRNA) knockdown in HCT116 colon cancer cells reduced proliferation and increased apoptosis as compared to control. EIF3G knockdown also increased autophagy and reduced mTOR signaling, as evidenced by low phospho-AKT, phospho-S6K and phospho-4EBP1 levels. Functional experiments indicated that overexpression of EIF3G promoted HCT-116 cells proliferation, migration and xenograft tumor growth. Finally, we observed lower xenograft tumor weights and volumes with EIF3G-silenced HCT116 cells than with control cells. These findings demonstrate that EIF3G promotes colon cancer growth and is a potential therapeutic target.