Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a highly aggressive biliary cancer originating within the liver with a high incidence, high degree of malignancy and extremely poor prognosis. Protein tyrosine phosphatase 4A1 (PTP4A1) plays a carcinogenic role in numerous tumors. However, the role of PTP4A1 in the progression of ICC has not been fully elucidated. The aim of the present study was to clarify the function of PTP4A1 in ICC. Cell Counting Kit‑8 assay, 5‑ethynyl‑2'‑deoxyuridine staining and a cell colony formation assay were performed to detect cell proliferation and viability. Wound healing and Transwell assays were used to analyze cell migration and invasion. The interaction of PTP4A1 with phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) was validated by immunofluorescence and co‑immunoprecipitation assays. Reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR, western blotting and immunohistochemistry were used to evaluate the mRNA and protein expression levels. The present study demonstrated that PTP4A1 was highly expressed and associated with invasive pathological features in ICC. Furthermore, PTP4A1 promoted ICC cell proliferation, migration and invasion both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, PTP4A1 interacts with PTEN, contributes to the suppression of PTEN phosphorylation and promotes the activation of the PI3K/AKT/glycogen synthase kinase 3 alpha pathway. In addition, the present results demonstrated that the promotion of cell proliferation, migration and invasion by PTP4A1 was dependent on the regulation of the PTEN/PI3K/AKT/GSk3α pathway in ICC. Collectively, these data revealed that PTP4A1 is a promising target for ICC therapeutics.

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