Zinc finger X-chromosomal protein (ZFX) is a significant prognostic indicator and promotes cellular malignant potential in gallbladder cancer.

The Zinc finger X-chromosomal protein (ZFX), a novel member of the Krueppel C2H2-type zinc finger protein family, has been implicated in multiple human cancers. However, the clinical significance of ZFX expression in gallbladder cancer (GBC) remains largely unknown. In this study, we focused on the clinical significance, biological function and mechanism of ZFX in GBC, and found that ZFX protein overexpression was frequently detected in GBC tissues. The expression of ZFX was significantly correlated with histological grade, perineural invasion, and margin status and lead to a significantly poorer prognosis in GBC patients(P <0.001). Furthermore, knockdown of ZFX result in significant inhibition of proliferation, migration, invasion and cause cell cycle arrest in GBC-SD cells, while over-expression of ZFX in NOZ shows the opposite results. Activation of PI3K/AKT pathway maybe the potential mechanism behind these effects. In conclusion, ZFX may serve as a oncogene and could be used as a potential prognostic marker and genetic treatment target for GBC patients.