GDF15 promotes epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in colorectal [corrected]

Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) is a divergent member of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily that has been associated with colorectal cancers (CRC). However, the role of GDF15 in the progression of CRC remains unknown. We demonstrated that GDF15 expression was higher in fresh CRC tissues than in adjacent normal tissues. Moreover, we found that GDF15 overexpression significantly facilitated cell viability, cell invasion and migration (p .01 or p .05). The protein expression of N-cadherin, vimentin and Twist1 were up-regulated by GDF15 overexpression, while E-cadherin was down-regulated. Reciprocally, using a GDF15-shRNA strategy, we observed that GDF15 downregulation inhibited both basal and GDF16-induced cell viability, invasion and migration in LoVo cells. In conclusion, GDF15 could promote cell viability, invasion and migration of LoVo cells through EMT induction.