We found that the expression of FER1L4 was significantly downregulated in OS tissues and cell lines; moreover, low expression of FER1L4 was associated with advanced tumor-nude-metastasis (TNM) stage, lymph node metastases, and poor overall survival.
MicroRNA (miRNA) -18a-5p, an osteosarcoma-promoting miRNA which was suggested a target of FER1L4 in osteosarcoma, was identified to be a functional target of FER1L4 on the regulating of cell apoptosis and EMT, presently.
Blocking FER1L4 expression by sh-FER1L4 treatment increased the expression of SOX9, CD44, ALDH1, Nanog and Oct4, indicating that FER1L4 could effectively decrease cell stemness in osteosarcoma.