@Article{biocell.2025.071255,
AUTHOR = {Min Ma, Zhuxiu Wang, Yan Cao, Juanying Yang, Zeliang Zhuang, Linqian Shi, Qian Gao},
TITLE = {High Expression of KRT6A in Cervical Cancer and Its Promoting Effects on Cell Proliferation and Invasion},
JOURNAL = {BIOCELL},
VOLUME = {49},
YEAR = {2025},
NUMBER = {12},
PAGES = {2399--2413},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/biocell/v49n12/65026},
ISSN = {1667-5746},
ABSTRACT = { <b>Objectives:</b> Keratin 6A (KRT6A) has been implicated in the progression of multiple malignancies; however, its expression pattern and biological role in cervical cancer (CC) have not been elucidated. This study aims to investigate KRT6A expression in CC tissues and evaluate its effects on cellular proliferation, migration, and invasion, thereby assessing its potential as a biomarker and therapeutic target. <b>Methods:</b> Differentially expressed genes were screened from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset (GSE9750) using the thresholds |log2FC| &gt; 2 and false discovery rate (FDR) &lt; 0.05. Immunohistochemistry was performed to evaluate KRT6A protein expression in tumor tissues. Stable KRT6A knockdown was established in CC cell lines to assess proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion <i>in vitro</i>. A nude-mouse xenograft model was used to evaluate tumor growth <i>in vivo</i>. <b>Results:</b> KRT6A expression was significantly increased in CC tissues relative to adjacent non-tumor tissues (<i>p</i> = 0.019). Patients with KRT6A-positive tumors had a significantly lower 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate than those with KRT6A-negative tumors (45.16% vs. 78.57%; <i>p</i> = 0.009). KRT6A was identified as an independent prognostic indicator for CC (<i>p</i> = 0.044). <i>In vitro</i>, KRT6A silencing significantly reduced colony formation, proliferation, migration, and invasion in SiHa and HeLa cells in comparison to controls (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). <i>In vivo</i>, tumors in the KRT6A knockdown group were significantly smaller, with reduced expression of both KRT6A and Ki-67 in tumor tissues (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). <b>Conclusion:</b> KRT6A is overexpressed in CC and associates with adverse clinicopathological features and poor PFS. Knockdown of KRT6A suppresses cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, indicating that KRT6A may represent a promising prognostic biomarker and potential target for treating CC.},
DOI = {10.32604/biocell.2025.071255}
}