Fatty acid binding protein 4 promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition in cervical squamous cell carcinoma through AKT/GSK3β/Snail signaling pathway

Fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) is a member of the fatty acid binding protein family which involved in a variety of biological cellular processes, including tumorigenesis. However, the role of this key adipokine in cervical cancer is still unclear. In this study, we explored the function of FABP4 in cervical cancer and the underlying molecular mechanisms. FABP4 was specifically elevated in tissue samples from patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) but not with cervical adenocarcinoma, and the level of FABP4 was correlated with E-cadherin and Vimentin expression. In vitro, exogenous FABP4 promoted the migration and invasion of CSCC cells in a dose-dependent manner, and reorganized the actin cytoskeletons in F-Actin staining and TGF-β induced EMT assays. Importantly, the AKT/GSK3β/Snail pathway appears to be involved in FABP4-induced EMT in CSCC cells. In conclusion, our research demonstrated elevated FABP4 promoted EMT via the activation of AKT/GSK3β/Snail pathway in CSCC.