Role of allograft inflammatory factor-1 in regulating the proliferation, migration and apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells

To investigate the role of allograft inflammatory factor-1 (AIF-1) in colorectal cancer (CRC) progression and explore the possible mechanism. The expression levels of AIF-1 in 70 CRC tissues and paired adjacent tissues were detected using immunohistochemistry and Western blotting, and the correlation of AIF-1 expression with the clinicopathological features of the patients was analyzed. In the CRC cell line SW480, the functional role of AIF-1 in regulating tumor progression was investigated by transfecting the cells with an AIF-1-overexpressing plasmid (AIF-1) and a negative control plasmid (NC). EdU proliferation assay and flow cytometry were used to assess the cell proliferation and cell cycle changes; Transwell migration assay and Annexin V-APC/7-AAD apoptosis assay kit were used to analyze the cell migration and apoptosis. The changes in the biological behaviors of the cells were observed after application of SB203580 to block the p38 MAPK pathway. The expression levels of CDK4, cyclin D1, P21, P27, MMP2,