Gelsolin promotes cell growth and invasion through the upregulation of p-AKT and p-P38 pathway in osteosarcoma.

The gelsolin (GSN) has been involved in the regulation of tumor formation and development, but the biological role of GSN in the pathogenesis of osteosarcoma (OS) has not been well characterized. In this study, we show that high expression of GSN was observed in OS tissues and correlated with tumor size, advanced Enneking stage, and poor patient prognosis. Knockdown of GSN significantly inhibited cell proliferation and invasiveness in the OS cell lines. Furthermore, stable overexpression of GSN in OS cells resulted in a significant increase in cell growth and motility with the downregulation of p-AKT and p-P38 pathway. Finally, overexpression of GSN promoted growth of OS tumors in SCID mice. Taken together, these results provided the first evidence that GSN might contribute to OS cancer development and could be an attractive therapeutic target for patients with OS.