Involvement of TOB1 on autophagy in gastric cancer AGS cells via decreasing the activation of AKT/mTOR signaling pathway

Background: We previously identified the tumor suppressor gene TOB1 as related to gastric cancer. The purpose of this study was to explore whether TOB1 induces autophagy through the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in gastric cancer.

Methods: Western blotting was used to detect the protein levels of TOB1, LC3, AKT, mTOR, phosphorylated (p) AKT, and p-mTOR. A double fluorescent GFP-RFP-LC3 fusion protein was used to trace autophagy by laser confocal microscopy. Autophagosomes were observed by transmission electron microscopy.

Results: The conversion of LC3-I to LC3-II and the LC3-II/LC3-I ratio were significantly increased in AGS cells overexpressing TOB1 compared with control cells. Fluorescence imaging showed LC3 puncta at 48 h, and these puncta increased significantly at 72 h after TOB1 transfection compared with control tumor cells. The presence of autophagosomes in AGS cells was observed at 72 h after TOB1 transfection by transmission electron microscopy, and no autophagosomes were found in the control cells. Moreover, the levels of p-AKT and p -mTOR were lower in AGS cells than in control cancer cells.

Conclusion: Our results provide novel insight that TOB1 might suppress gastric cancer by inducing autophagy, possibly through decreasing phosphorylation and the subsequent activation of the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.