IL-22, one important inflammatory cytokine of the IL-10 family, exerts its functions via IL-22 receptor that is composed of IL-22R1 and IL-10R2 subunits. Although IL-22 expression is reported to be elevated in many cancers, and increased IL-22 expression correlates with tumor progression and poor prognosis, little is known about the role of IL-22 in gastric cancer. In our study, we found that IL-22 stimulation promoted the migration and invasion of SGC-7901 cells. Furthermore, IL-22 increased AKT activation and MMP-9 production in a time- and dose-dependent manner, while knockdown of IL-22R1 attenuated the effect of IL-22 on gastric cancer cells. In addition, blocking of AKT activation suppressed the expression and secretion of MMP-9. Taken together, this present study suggests that IL-22 stimulation enhances the migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells by regulating IL-22R1/AKT/MMP-9 signaling axis.
Keywords: IL-22; IL-22R1; MMP-9; gastric cancer; invasion; migration.