Human cystatin D (CST5) locates in the nucleus at sites of active transcription and regulates gene expression

Cystatin D (CST5) is an inhibitor of several proteases of the cathepsin family that inhibits cell proliferation, migration and invasion of colon carcinoma cells. Some of these effects are unrelated to its antiprotease activity. Here, we use genome-wide expression microarrays to show that cystatin D regulates gene expression (including that of genes encoding transcription factors such as RUNX1, RUNX2, or MEF2C) in HCT116 cells. HCT116 colon adenocarcinoma cell lines stably expressing cystatin D (HCT116-CST5 clone 9 and clone 20), mock-transfected (HCT116-Mock) and un-transfected (HCT116-Untransfected) were generated as described (Álvarez-Díaz et al., 2009, PUBMED:19662683) and genome-wide expression microarrays were obtained to achieve the gene expression profile induced by CST5.