SPOCD1 promotes the proliferation and metastasis of glioma cells by up-regulating PTX3.

Gliomas are the most prevalent type of primary brain tumors in adults, accounting for more than 40% of neoplasms in the central nervous system. The spen paralogue and orthologue C-terminal domain containing 1 (SPOCD1) has been recently identified and found to discriminate progressive from non-progressive bladder cancers. In this study, we detected high-level of SPOCD1 expression in glioma and its high expression significantly associated with advanced tumor grade and poor prognosis. In vitro assays showed that knockdown of SPOCD1 significantly inhibited cell proliferation and colony formation capacities in U373 and U87 cells. In a xenograft model of glioma, SPOCD1 was also found to inhibit tumor growth. In addition, knockdown of SPOCD1 was shown to inhibit cell migration and invasion in glioma U373 and U87 cells. SPOCD1 positively regulated the expression of Pentraxin 3 (PTX3), whereas overexpression of PTX3 attenuated SPOCD1 knockdown-mediated inhibition of cell proliferation, migration and invasion in glioma cells. Our observations suggest that SPOCD1 promotes the proliferation and metastasis of glioma cells through regulating PTX3. Our data might provide novel evidence for the diagnosis and treatment of glioma in clinic.