SYNPO2 suppresses hypoxia-induced proliferation and migration of colorectal cancer cells by regulating YAP-KLF5 axis.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common tumors that has a high incidence worldwide. Targeted therapy for CRC has received much attention recently. It is still necessary to develop novel and promising therapeutic targets to improve the prognosis. SYNPO2, also known as synapsopoprotein 2 or myopod, encodes actin binding proteins and has been characterized as a tumor suppressor for aggressive cancers. SYNPO2 has been reported to inhibit the activity of YAP/TAZ. However, whether SYNPO2 could regulate the progression of CRC through the YAP/YAZ signaling pathway remains unclear. Herein, it was found that the expression of SYNPO2 was low in hypoxia-exposed CRC cells, consistent with the data from TCGA database. SYNPO2 inhibited the growth of CRC cells upon hypoxia treatment and promoted the cell apoptosis. Additionally, SYNPO2 inhibited the migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT) CRC cell upon hypoxia treatment. Mechanically, the results demonstrated that SYNPO2 suppressed hypoxia-induced progression of CRC by regulating YAP-Kruppel like factor 5 (KLF5) axis. Therefore, SYNPO2 can serve as a promising therapeutic target for CRC treatment.