RNA-binding Protein ZC3H18 Enhances Cell Proliferation and Metastasis in Lung Adenocarcinoma

Abstract Background LUAD is a prevalent type of lung cancer that originates from the glandular cells of the lung. Despite improvements in diagnosis and treatment, it remains a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Thus, there is a critical need to develop reliable biomarkers for early detection, diagnosis, and prognosis of LUAD. Methods We first revealed that the expression level of ZC3H18 in LUAD patients. And we analyzed the prognostic value of ZC3H18 using KM-Plotter. We analyzed the co-expressed genes of ZC3H18 and conducted KEGG pathway and GO enrichment analyses. Furthermore, we conducted PPI network analysis, identified 8 hub genes closely associated with ZC3H18 to gain a better understanding of its functions. We silenced ZC3H18 using small interfering RNA (siRNA) and investigated its function in LUAD using in vitro functional assays. We measured cell proliferation through CCK-8, clone formation, and EdU assays, and evaluated cell migration and invasion abilities using scratch, Transwell migration, and invasion assays. Results ZC3H18 is highly expressed in LUAD and indicates poor prognosis. We screened 309 co-expressed genes and identified 8 hub genes (NOC2L, DDX51, DDX54, DHX37, SURF6, MYBBP1A, RBM19, POLR1A) closely related to RNA processes through PPI network analysis. Most of the enriched KEGG pathways and GO biological processes were also related to RNA processes. In vitro cell experiments showed that silencing ZC3H18 reduced cell proliferation and migration ability in LUAD. Conclusion The RNA-binding protein ZC3H18 promotes the proliferation and metastasis of LUAD through facilitating RNA processes.