ZHX1 Inhibits Gastric Cancer Cell Growth through Inducing Cell-Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis

Zinc-fingers and homeoboxes 1 (ZHX1) was implicated in the carcinogenesis of human cancers. However, little is known about the role of ZHX1 in gastric cancer (GC). Here, we found that ZHX1 was downregulated in GC tissues compared with paired non-tumor tissues and loss of ZHX1 expression correlated with aggressive clinical characteristics of GC patients. ZHX1 induced G1/S arrest by decreasing cyclin D1 and cyclin E expression, and induced cell apoptosis by Bcl2 downregulation and Bax and cleaved Caspase-3 upregulation. Our findings revealed that ZHX1 could inhibit cell growth through inducing cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in GC.