Knockdown of ZFX inhibits gastric cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo via downregulating the ERK-MAPK pathway

•ZFX expression was significantly upregulated in gastric cancer (GC) cell lines and tissues.•Knockdown of ZFX induced significant apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in SGC7901 and MGC803 cells.•Knockdown of ZFX inhibited gastric cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo.

Zinc finger protein X-linked (ZFX) is a zinc finger transcription factor encoded on the X chromosome. Here, we found that ZFX expression was significantly upregulated in gastric cancer (GC) cell lines and tissues. Knockdown of ZFX induced significant apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in SGC7901 and MGC803 cells. Moreover, we demonstrated for the first time that knockdown of ZFX inhibited gastric cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo via downregulating the extracellular signal-regulated kinase/mitogen-activated protein kinase (ERK-MAPK) pathway. Therefore, ZFX play a prominent role in GC tumorigenicity and may have potential applications in the diagnosis or treatment of GC.