AUTHOR=Zhu Wenhui , Liu Chunyan , Lu Tongyi , Zhang Yinmei , Zhang Simin , Chen Qi , Deng Ning 

TITLE=Knockout of EGFL6 by CRISPR/Cas9 Mediated Inhibition of Tumor Angiogenesis in Ovarian Cancer

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2020.01451

DOI=10.3389/fonc.2020.01451

ISSN=2234-943X

ABSTRACT=<p>Tumor angiogenesis plays an important role in the progression and metastasis of ovarian cancer. EGFL6 protein is highly expressed in ovarian cancer and has been proposed to play an important role in promoting tumor angiogenesis. Here, a CRISPR/Cas9 system was used to knockout the <italic>EGFL6</italic> gene in the ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3, using specific guide RNA targeting the exons of <italic>EGFL6</italic>. The knockout of <italic>EGFL6</italic> markedly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of SKOV3 cells, as well as promoted apoptosis of tumor cells. In the nude mouse model of ovarian cancer, knockout of <italic>EGFL6</italic> remarkably inhibited tumor growth and angiogenesis. The transcript profile assays detected 4,220 differentially expressed genes in the knockout cells, including 87 genes that were correlated to proliferation, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis. Moreover, Western blotting confirmed that <italic>EGFL6</italic> knockout downregulated the FGF-2/PDGFB signaling pathway. Thus, the results of this study indicated that <italic>EGFL6</italic> could regulate cell proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis in ovarian cancer cells by regulating the FGF-2/PDGFB signaling pathway.</p>