Knockdown of TRIM47 inhibits glioma cell proliferation, migration and invasion through the inactivation of Wnt/β-catenin pathway

Tripartite motif 47 (TRIM47), a member of the TRIM protein family, plays a crucial role in tumor development and progression. However, the role of TRIM47 in glioma has not been investigated. In the present study, we investigated the expression of TRIM47 in glioma and explored the role of TRIM47 in glioma proliferation and migration both in vitro and in vivo. Our results showed that TRIM47 expression was significantly increased in glioma tissues compared to the normal brain tissues. Knockdown of TRIM47 in U87 and U251 cells inhibited cell proliferation, as well as cell migration and invasion. TRIM47 knockdown caused significant increase in E-cadherin expression and remarkable decrease in N-cadherin and vimentin expressions in both U87 and U251 cells. In vivo assay proved that knockdown of TRIM47 prevented tumor growth of glioma. Furthermore, TRIM47 silencing significantly inhibited the activation of Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Additionally, treatment with LiCl reversed the inhibitory effects of TRIM47 knockdown on cell proliferation and migration in U87 cells. In conclusion, these findings indicated that knockdown of TRIM47 suppressed cell proliferation and metastasis of glioma both in vitro and in vivo. TRIM47 exerted an oncogenic role in glioma and might be a therapeutic target for the treatment of glioma.