ABSTRACT
Abstract Background Importin 7 (IPO7) belongs to the Importin β family and is implicated in the progression of diverse human malignancies. This work is performed to probe the role of IPO7 in pancreatic cancer development and its potential downstream mechanisms. Methods IPO7 expression in PC and paracancerous tissues were measured using Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining and qRT-PCR. Western blotting was utilized to detect the expression level of IPO7 in PC cells and immortalize the pancreatic ductal epithelial cell line. After constructing the IPO7 overexpression and knockdown models, the effect of IPO7 on the proliferation of PC cells was analyzed by the CCK-8 and EdU assay. The migration and invasion of PC cells were examined by wound healing assay and Transwell experiment. The apoptosis rate of PC cells was analyzed by flow cytometry and TUNEL assay. The Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was used to determine the enrichment pathways of IPO7. The effect of IPO7 on the ERBB2 expression was determined using Western blotting. A xenograft mouse model was applied to investigate the carcinogenic effect of IPO7 in vivo. Results IPO7 expression was remarkably elevated in the cancer tissues of PC patients. IPO7 overexpression remarkably enhanced PC cell proliferation, migration and invasion and suppressed apoptosis, while knockdown of IPO7 exerted the opposite effect. Mechanistically, IPO7 facilitated the malignant phenotype of PC cells by up-regulating ERBB2 expression. In addition, knockdown of IPO7 inhibited tumor growth and lung metastasis in vivo. Conclusion IPO7 can act as an oncogenic factor and accelerate PC progression by modulating the ERBB pathway.