Cytokeratin 18(CK18), one of the major components of intermediate filaments (IF) in simple-type epithelial cells, has been used as the biomarker of several cancers. CK18 has been also reported to be dysregulated in cervical cancers, however, the precise molecular pathways regulated by CK18 remained elusive. In this study, CK18 was knockdown in Hela cells and which led to a significantly decrease of cell apoptosis compared with control cells. The global transcript profile and alternative splicing of CK18 knockdown cells and control were analyzed. A total of 593 differentially expressed genes were identified, and these genes were mainly involved in synaptic transmission, immune response, innate immune response, signal transduction pathways. Strikingly, hundreds of genes were regulated by CK18, which mainly enriched in immune and apoptosis related pathways. In conclusion, our study indicates that CK18 plays important regulatory role in cervical cancers in transcriptional level as well as alternative splicing regulation. SOURCE: Dong Chen ABLife, Inc.

Pluto Bioinformatics

GSE119255: Cytokeratin 18 knockdown decreases cell apoptosis by regulating the transcription and alternative splicing in Hela cell