As a prognostic biomarker for malignant tumors, DUXAP8 can mediate the proliferation and migration of prostate cancer

Abstract Background: The prognostic value of lncRNA double homeobox A pseudogene 8 (DUXAP8) remains inconsistent. Moreover, the role of DUXAP8 in prostate cancer (PCa) is poorly understood. We performed a meta-analysis to elucidate the clinical value of DUXAP8 in malignancies and evaluated the effect of DUXAP8 in PCa in this study. Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched to identify eligible studies. Hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence interval (95%CI) and clinicopathological factors were extracted. Subgroup analysis according to sample size, cancer type, cancer morphology and HRs source were conducted. The DUXAP8 expression in PCa tissues, and the relationship between DUXAP8 expression and clinical parameters were performed using TCGA dataset. Then transwell, wound healing and EdU assays were used for cells migration and proliferation analysis. In vivo xenograft assay was also employed to evaluate the DUXAP8 role in PCa. Results: A total of 20 eligible studies involving 1226 patients were incorporated in the meta-analysis. We found that DUXAP8 overexpression was significantly associated with poor overall survival (HR = 2.50, 95%CI: 1.90-3.28), lymph node metastasis (OR = 2.76, 95%CI: 1.71-4.46) , histological grade (OR = 2.20, 95%CI: 1.42–3.40) and TNM staging (OR = 2.60, 95%CI 1.96-3.46) in malignancies. By analyzing the TCGA databases, and confirming in cell lines, we found that DUXAP8 was overexpressed in PCa. its overexpression was associated with poor biochemical recurrence (p = 0.04), pathological stage (p = 0.035), Gleason score (p = 0.009), T stage (p = 0.003) and lymph node metastasis (p = 0.024). DUXAP8 knockdown inhibited the PCa cell migration and invasion in vitro, and cell growth both in vitro and vivo. Conclusion: These results indicate that DUXAP8 may be a potential predictor for poor prognosis and therapeutic target in tumor including PCa.