APRIL mediates migration and invasion of colorectal cancer cells via regulation of matrix metalloproteinases
Objective To investigate the effects of a proliferation-inducing ligand(APRIL) on migration and invasion of colorectal cancer (CRC) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) expression in order to observe the role of APRIL in CRC metastasis.Methods The siRNA plasmid vector targeting APRIL gene (siRNA-APRIL) was transfected into SW480 cells and recombinant human APRIL(rhAPRIL) was used to stimulate HCT-116 cells.Tumor cell migration and invasion were measured by Transwell chambers.RT-PCR and ELISA were applied to examine the expression level of MMPs.Results Metastatic and invasive capacities of siRNA-APRIL transfected SW480 were significantly inhibited,and these capacities of APRIL stimulated HCT-116 cells were significantly enhanced compared with their respective controls( all P＜0.05 ),accompanied with the alterations of MMPs mRNA and secreted protein expression( P＜0.05).The number of invading cells of SW480 control and rhAPRIL stimulated HCT-116 was significantly decreased by a MMP inhibitor GM6001 ( P＜0.05 ).Conclusion APRIL facilitates migration and invasion of CRC via regulation of MMPs,which suggests that APRIL might be used as a new target for the intervention and treatment of CRC metastasis. 
 
Key words: 
A proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL) ;  Colorectal cancer (CRC) ;  Matrix Metalloproteinase (MMP);  Invasion;  Metastasis