Evaluation of TAZ expression and its effect on tumor invasion and metastasis in human glioma

Objective:To evaluate the expression TAZ and its role in tumor invasion and metastetsis in human glioma.Methods:The expression of TAZ protein was measured in 48 samples of surgically resected human glioma and 13 samples of normal brain tissues using immunohistochemistry.TAZ was knocked down by a retrovirus-mediated TAZ shRNA in a glioma cell line.SNB19.Transwell cell migration and invasion assays were used to determine migration and invasion of SNB19 cells.Results:The positive expression tale of TAZ protein in glioma tissnes was significantly higher than than in normal brain tissues(79.2%vs.15.4%.P<0.001).Furthermore.clinical analysis suggested thai the positive expression rate of TAZ protein in poorly differentiated tumor tissues was significantly higher as compared with that in well differentiated tissues(96.0%vs.60.9%,P<0.01).TAZ was significantly knocked down by TAZ shRNA(P<0.001),and TAZ knockdown significantly reduced cell migration and invasion(P<0.01.rspectively)in SNB19cells.Conclusions:TAZ protein overexpression is observed in human glioma and its elevated expression is significantly correlated with poor differentiation.TAZ knockdown prominently reduces cell migration and invasion in SNB19 cells,suggesling that TAZ may play a key role in the initiation and progression of human glioma.