title: WNT5A expression in ameloblastoma and its roles in regulating enamel epithelium tumorigenic behaviors.
abstract: Odontogenic tumors originate from the remains of migrating enamel epithelium after the completion of normal tooth genesis. These enamel epithelium remnants exhibit the ability to recapitulate the events that occur during tooth formation. Several lines of evidence suggest that aberrance in the signaling pathways similar to the ones that are used during tooth development, including the WNT pathway, might be the cause of odontogenic tumorigenesis and maintenance. In this study we demonstrated that WNT5A expression was intense in both the epithelial component of ameloblastomas, the most common epithelial odontogenic tumor, and in this tumor's likely precursor cell, the enamel epithelium located at the cervical loop of normal developing human tooth buds. Additionally, when WNT5A was overexpressed in enamel epithelium cells (LS-8), the clones expressing high levels of WNT5A (S) exhibited characteristics of tumorigenic cells, including growth factor independence, loss of anchorage dependence, loss of contact inhibition, and tumor formation in immunocompromised mice. Moreover, overexpression of WNT5A drastically increased LS-8 cell migration and actin reorganization when compared with controls. Suppression of endogenous WNT5A in LS-8 cells (AS) greatly impaired their migration and AS cells failed to form significant actin reorganization and membrane protrusion was rarely seen. Taken together, our data indicate that WNT5A signaling is important in modulating tumorigenic behaviors of enamel epithelium cells in ameloblastomas.
authors.affiliation: North Carolina Oral Health Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7454, USA.
authors.forename: Waleerat
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sukarawan
authors.forename: Darrin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Simmons
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Suggs
authors.forename: Kimberly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Long
authors.forename: J Timothy
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Wright
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000564:Ameloblastoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D000818:Animals; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D002465:Cell Movement; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D048430:Cell Shape; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002999:Clone Cells; D003260:Contact Inhibition; D003743:Dental Enamel / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D004848:Epithelium / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007573:Jaw Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008875:Middle Aged; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051153:Wnt Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D000071818:Wnt-5a Protein; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; C085389:WNT5A protein, human; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D000071818:Wnt-5a Protein; C438615:Wnt5a protein, mouse