Inhibition of Regulator of G Protein Signaling 20 Reduces Cell Proliferation, Invasion and Migration by Activating the Hippo Pathway in Cutaneous Melanoma

Regulator of G protein signaling 20 (RGS20) has several important biological functions, including carcinogenesis.This study aimed to assess the effects of RGS20 knockdown on cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and the Hippo pathway in cutaneous melanoma.Two cutaneous melanoma cell lines were cultured: A375 and SK-MEL-28.The RGS20 siRNA (si-RGS20) and control siRNA (si-CTL) were transfected into the cells, and non-transfected cells were used as blank controls.GA-017 was added to treat the cells to inactivate the Hippo pathway via si-RGS20 or si-CTL transfection.Cell proliferation ability was lower in si-RGS20 group compared to si-CTL group, as determined by both CCK-8 and EdU staining assays in A375 and SK-MEL-28 cells.Cell invasion and cell migration abilities were also reduced in si-RGS20 group compared to si-CTL group, as determined by Transwell and wound healing assays in A375 and SK-MEL-28 cells, respectively.In addition, the Hippo pathway was more strongly activated in si-RGS20 group compared to si-CTL group, as shown by the detection of p-YAP1/YAP1 relative expression in A375 and SK-MEL-28 cells.After the addition of GA-017 treatment, cell proliferation, invasion and migration abilities were all increased in GA-017 group compared to si-CTL group and in si-RGS20 + GA-017 group compared with si-RGS20 group in A375 and SK-MEL-28 cells; but Hippo pathway showed the opposite trend.In conclusion, the inhibition of RGS20 reduces cell proliferation, invasion and migration by activating the Hippo pathway in cutaneous melanoma.Nevertheless, more functional and mechanism experiments are necessary for verification.