NPTX1 inhibits colon cancer cell proliferation through down‐regulating cyclin A2 and CDK2 expression

Colon cancer is the third most common malignancy and one of the leading causes of cancer‐associated mortality worldwide. Neuronal pentraxin 1 (NPTX1) is associated with tumor progression in some types of tumors. However, its expression and role in colon cancer has not been yet reported. Here we observed that NPTX1 was down‐regulated in colon cancer. Additionally, we explored the functional significance of NPTX1 in colon cancer. We found that over‐expression of NPTX1 inhibited colon cancer cell growth by performing MTT, colony formation, Edu corporation assays, and cell cycle analysis. In vivo mouse experiments also confirmed the anti‐proliferative role of NPTX1 in colon cancer. Further mechanistic study showed that over‐expression of NPTX1 inhibited the expression of cyclin A2 and CDK2 in colon cancer cells, thereby regulating the Rb‐E2F signaling. In summary, these findings reveal that NPTX1 suppress the colon cancer cell growth and might serve as a useful potential target for treatment of colon cancer.