Scinderin promotes the invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer cells and predicts the outcome of patients

•High levels of SCIN expression in GC tissue predict a poor outcome in patients.•SCIN enhances the invasive and metastatic capabilities of GC cells in vitro and in vivo.•Filopodium formation is involved in the SCIN- promoted invasion and metastasis of GC cells.•Suppression of SCIN in GC cells is accompanied by decreased expression of Cdc42, an important regulator of filopodia.