title: Junctional adhesion molecule-A, an epithelial-mesenchymal transition inducer, correlates with metastasis and poor prognosis in human nasopharyngeal cancer.
abstract: Junctional adhesion molecule-A (JAM-A) is preferentially concentrated at tight junctions and influences epithelial cell morphology and migration. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is the conversion process of epithelial cells into mesenchymal cells, and it plays an important role in the invasiveness and metastasis of various cancers. However, the role of JAM-A in regulating the invasive behaviours of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is unknown. In this study, we found that JAM-A upregulation induced EMT, whereas silencing of endogenous JAM-A expression reversed EMT. Furthermore, upregulation of JAM-A led to EMT via activation phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) pathway. PI3K inhibitors blocked JAM-A-induced EMT, suggesting that the kinase acts downstream of JAM-A. Finally, results from 172 human patients with NPC showed that high expression levels of JAM-A correlated with metastasis and poor prognosis in NPC. Taken together, these results suggest that high JAM-A expression positively correlates with poor prognosis in patients with NPC, and induces EMT of NPC cells in vitro and in vivo via the PI3K/Akt pathway. These data indicate novel functions in the JAM-A repertoire, and have clinical implications for the treatment of patients with NPC.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong Province, China, Department of Oncology, Armed Police Corps Hospital of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510507, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Yunhong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510560, Guangdong Province, China and.
authors.forename: Yunming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong Province, China, Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510095, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Weijun
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Xiaojun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Armed Police Corps Hospital of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510507, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Armed Police Corps Hospital of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510507, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Armed Police Corps Hospital of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510507, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Shen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Xubing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Armed Police Corps Hospital of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510507, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Yihan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong Province, China, yao.kaitai@yahoo.cn.
authors.forename: Kaitai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002277:Carcinoma; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000528:radiation effects; D058750:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000077274:Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011379:Prognosis; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000378:metabolism; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000235:genetics; D011836:Radiation Tolerance; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D015996:Survival Rate; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; C407243:F11R protein, human; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt