MLC1 Overexpression Inhibits Tumor Progression through PI3K/AKT Signal Pathway in Prostate Cancer

Abstract Prostate cancer (PC) is a prevalent malignancy in males, characterized by high morbidity and mortality. Despite MLC1 being established as a key mediator in tumor progression, its role in PC remains unexplored. This study aims to validate MLC1's anti‐tumor effects and uncover potential mechanisms. MLC1's clinical significance is assessed using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and the Genotype‐Tissue Expression databases. MLC1 expression is significantly reduced in PC samples compared with the adjacent normal tissues. MLC1 expression correlates negatively with tumor metastasis and positively with the survival of patients with PC. In vitro, up‐regulating MLC1 effectively inhibits tumor progression by curtailing proliferation, infestation, and migration through the deactivation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Conversely, down‐regulating MLC1 promotes PC progression, a phenomenon alleviated by the PI3K/AKT inhibitor, Gefitinib. Furthermore, the anti‐tumor function of MLC1 is corroborated by a reduction in tumor volume compared with the negative control in vivo. This study confirms the anti‐tumor effects of MLC1 via in vitro and in vivo experiments, demonstrating its potential mechanism of inhibiting the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.