Overexpression of RRM2 in gastric cancer cell promotes their invasiveness via AKT/NF-kB signaling pathway

The ribonucleotide reductase M2 subunit (RRM2) plays an active role in tumor progression and is frequently overexpressed in cancer. It plays a significant role in the regulation of cell invasiveness, cell migration and tumor metastasis. Elevated RRM2 expression has been reported to be associated with poor prognosis of gastric cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms of RRM2 in gastric cancer cells remain elusive. In our study, we found that RRM2 highly expressed in gastric cancer cells BGC823. RRM2 stimulation dose-dependently enhanced the invasion and migration of BGC823 cells. Furthermore, we found that the expressions of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in BGC823 cells were significantly increased after RRM2 stimulation. In addition, RRM2 time-dependently induced activation of AKT, IκBα, and NF-κB. These effects of RRM2 were prevented by AKT selective inhibitor GSK690693 as well as NF-κB selective inhibitor BAY117082. In conclusion, our findings establish a signaling role for RRM2 in gastric cancer cells and identify that the RRM2/AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway is essential for tumor invasiveness in gastric cancer cells. Thus, our data may provide knowledge for using RRM2 as a novel target for effective diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer.