ADAM metallopeptidase with thrombospondin type 1 motif 16 is a potential marker for prognosis in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

The mortality rate of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) remains high. Immunohistochemical staining, Western blotting and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction were employed to evaluate ADAM (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase) metallopeptidase with thrombospondin type 1 motif 16 (ADAMTS16) levels in ccRCC tissues and paired normal tissues, and all tissues were obtained from clinical samples of 46 cases of ccRCC patients. Moreover, we analyzed the role ADAMTS16 in the progression of ccRCC using Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and flow cytometry. ADAMTS16 levels in ccRCC tissues were markedly low, relative to normal tissues, and ADAMTS16 level closely correlated with tumor stage, lymph node metastasis as well as pathological grade. Patients with elevated ADAMTS16 expressions have a more favorable survival outcome, relative to patients with low expression of ADAMTS16. In vitro study showed ADAMTS16 expression markedly decreased in ccRCC cells and acted as a tumor suppressor compared with the normal cells. The expression of ADAMTS16 is down-regulated in ccRCC tissues, relative to normal tissues, and it may inhibit the malignancies of ccRCC. Such inhibitory effect may be ascribed to the involvement of AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin signaling. Hence, the present study of ADAMTS16 will provide new insight into the underlying biological mechanisms of ccRCC.