Overexpression of histone deacetylase 4 inhibits proliferation and invasion of colorectal cancer cells

doi:10.16352/j.issn.1001-6325.2026.08.1051

Abstract

Abstract: Objective To investigate the regulatory role of histone deacetylase 4(HDAC4) overexpression in the proliferation and invasion of human colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. Methods The expression level of HDAC4 in CRC and its correlation with patient prognosis were analyzed using TCGA, GTEx, and HPA databases. Lentiviral transfection was used to construct HDAC4 overexpressing CRC cell lines (SW480 and HCT116), with transfection efficiency verified by RT-qPCR and Western blot. The effects of HDAC4 overexpression on CRC cell proliferation and invasion were assessed using CCK-8, EdU, colony formation, and Transwell assays. Results Database analysis revealed that HDAC4 was significantly downregulated in human CRC tissues and closely associated with poor patient prognosis. Immunohistochemical validation using HPA clinical samples further confirmed that HDAC4 expression was markedly lower in CRC tissues compared to normal colorectal tissues. RT-qPCR and Western blot confirmed the successful establishment of stable HDAC4 overexpressing SW480 and HCT116 cells. HDAC4 overexpression reduced CRC cell viability (P＜0.001), decreased the number of EdU-positive cells (P＜0.01), and significantly inhibited colony formation (P＜0.001). Additionally, HDAC4 overexpression downregulated the expression of proliferation-related genes PCNA(P＜0.01) and MK167(P＜0.01) and significantly impaired cell invasion ability. Conclusions HDAC4 overexpression suppresses the proliferation and invasion of human CRC cells, providing new theoretical and experimental support for precision therapy in colorectal cancer.

Key words: colorectal cancer, histone deacetylase 4, cell proliferation and invasion, biomarker

CLC Number:

R735.3

LIU Huoxi, HUANG Botian, ZHAO Yuntao, ZHANG Jiayang, WU Wenmei. Overexpression of histone deacetylase 4 inhibits proliferation and invasion of colorectal cancer cells[J]. Basic & Clinical Medicine, 2026, 46(8): 1051-1058.

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