TM4SF1 regulates esophageal squamous cell carcinoma KYSE150 cell phenotypes via miRNA-regulated pathways

TM4SF1, a small transmembrane glycoprotein, has been implicated in tumor progression across multiple cancers. However, its functional and regulatory roles in esophageal cancer, particularly esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), remain unclear. This study aims to characterize TM4SF1 expression in an ESCC cell line, KYSE150, determine its biological role in tumor cell phenotypes, and profile miRNA changes after TM4SF1 knockdown and perform in silico target or pathway analyses. First, TM4SF1 gene expression was analyzed in the KYSE150 cell line by qRT-PCR. shRNA-mediated TM4SF1 knockdown was applied to the KYSE150 cells, followed by proliferation, migration, and apoptosis assays. MiRNA sequencing followed by bioinformatic analyses predicted microRNAs and potential genes targeting TM4SF1, which also included putative composite pathways and gene ontologies. TM4SF1 gene expression was significantly upregulated in the KYSE150 cells compared to EC109 ESCC and HET1A cells, a normal esophageal epithelial cell. Functional bioassays revealed that TM4SF1 knockdown significantly reduced cell proliferation (MTT and CCK-8 assays) by 46%, while reducing wound closure at 24 h by 30.5% with recovery by 48 h and increased 90% of caspase 3/7 activity. The exploratory sequencing of miRNAs revealed the ten most differentially expressed miRNAs (hsa-miR-6510-3p, hsa-miR-675-5p, hsa-miR-524-5p, hsa-miR-9902, hsa-miR-520f-3p, hsa-miR-3192-5p, hsa-miR-1973, hsa-miR-3614-5p, hsa-miR-501-3p, and hsa-miR-1298-5p), whereas bioinformatic analyses predicted 54 target gene predictions, including TP53, RB1, and ICAM3, and 13 composite pathways that encompassed processes such as apoptosis, cell adhesion, and metabolic regulation. This study provides preliminary and useful insights into the role of TM4SF1 within the KYSE150 ESCC cell-line model and provide a basis for future validation in additional ESCC models, alongside initial investigations into its molecular mechanisms, and underscores the necessity of further validation in diverse cells and models and possible therapeutic implications.