EIF3F regulates cell migration and metastasis in human lung adenocarcinoma

The basic understanding of the biological effects of eukaryotic translation initiation factors (EIFs) remains incomplete. Here, we analyzed the function of EIF3F, which is commonly found to be overexpressed in human lung adenocarcinoma, and discovered that EIF3F promotes cell migration and metastasis in vivo. The underpinning molecular mechanisms involved the upregulation of a cluster of 34 metastasis-promoting genes including Snail2 (SLUG), as revealed by proteomics combined with immuno-affinity purification of EIF3F and ChIP-seq/Q-PCR analyses. The interaction between EIF3F and Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3) controlled the EIF3F-mediated increase in Snail2 expression and cellular invasion, which were specifically abrogated using the STAT3 inhibitor nifuroxazide. Our findings demonstrate the role of EIF3F in the molecular control of cell migration, invasion and metastasis.