Mediator of RNA polymerase II transcription subunit 19 promotes osteosarcoma growth and metastasis and associates with prognosis

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary malignant tumour of bone. Nearly 30–40% of OS patients have a poor prognosis despite multimodal treatments. Because the carcinogenesis of OS remains unclear, the identification of new oncogenes that control the tumourigenesis and progression of OS is crucial for developing new therapies. Here, we found that the expression of Mediator of RNA polymerase II transcription subunit 19 (Med19) was increased in OS samples from patients compared to normal bone tissues. Cyclin D1 and cyclin B1 are upregulated in Med19 positive OS tissues. Importantly, among 97 OS patients of Enneking stage IIB or IIIB, Med19 expression was correlated with metastasis (P < 0.05) and poor prognosis (P < 0.01). Med19 knockdown significantly induced growth inhibition, reduced colony-forming ability and suppressed migration in the OS cell lines Saos-2 and U2OS, along with the downregulated expression of cyclin D1 and cyclin B1. Med19 knockdown also induced apoptosis in Saos-2 cells via induction of caspase-3 and poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP). In addition, Med19 knockdown significantly suppressed tumour growth in an OS xenograft nude mouse model via suppression of cyclin D1 and cyclin B1. Simultaneously, Med19 downregulation decreased the expression of Ki67 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in tumour samples from OS xenograft nude mice. Med19 depletion remarkably reduced tumour metastasis in a model of OS metastatic spreading. Taken together, our data suggest that Med19 acts as an oncogene in OS via a possible cyclin D1/cyclin B1 modulation pathway.