TIF1 and SMAD4 regulation in colorectal cancer: impact on cell proliferation and liver metastasis

We investigated the effects of transcriptional intermediary factor 1 gamma (TIF1 gamma) and SMAD4 on the proliferation and liver metastasis of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells through knockdown of TIF1 gamma and/or SMAD4 and knockdown of TIF1 gamma and/or restoration of SMAD4 expression. Furthermore, we examined TIF1 gamma and SMAD4 expression in human primary CRC and corresponding liver metastatic CRC specimens. TIF1 gamma promoted but SMAD4 inhibited the proliferation of CRC cells by competitively binding to activated SMAD2/SMAD3 complexes and then reversely regulating c-Myc, p21, p27, and cyclinA2 levels. Surprisingly, both TIF1 gamma and SMAD4 reduced the liver metastasis of all studied CRC cell lines via inhibition of MEK/ERK pathway-mediated COX-2, Nm23, uPA, and MMP9 expression. In patients with advanced CRC, reduced TIF1 gamma or SMAD4 expression was correlated with increased invasion and liver metastasis and was a significant, independent risk factor for recurrence and survival after radical resection. Patients with advanced CRC with reduced TIF1 gamma or SAMD4 expression had higher recurrence rates and shorter overall survival. TIF1 gamma and SMAD4 competitively exert contrasting effects on cell proliferation but act complementarily to suppress the liver metastasis of CRC via MEK/ERK pathway inhibition. Thus, reduced TIF1 gamma or SMAD4 expression in advanced CRC predicts earlier liver metastasis and poor prognosis.