RNF7 knockdown inhibits prostate cancer tumorigenesis by inactivation of ERK1/2 pathway

Development of castration resistance is a key contributor to mortality in patients with prostate cancer. High expression of RING finger protein 7 (RNF7) in cancer cells is known to play a key role in tumor progression. However, the role of RNF7 in prostate cancer progression is not well elucidated. In this study, we silenced RNF7 by shRNA interference in two castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) cell lines, DU145 and PC3. RNF7 knockdown attenuated proliferation and enhanced sensitivity of prostate cancer cells to cisplatin treatment. Invasive property of DU145 and PC3 cells was also attenuated by RNF7 silencing. The underlying mechanisms appear to be associated with accumulation of tumor suppressive proteins p21, p27 and NOXA, while inactivation of ERK1/2 by RNF7 knockdown. We demonstrated that RNF7 knockdown induced growth suppression of prostate cancer cells and inactivated ERK1/2 pathway, which suggested RNF7 might be a potential novel therapeutic target for CRPC.