title: WNT5A promotes stemness characteristics in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells leading to metastasis and tumorigenesis.
abstract: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) has the highest metastasis rate among head and neck cancers with unclear mechanism. WNT5A belongs to the WNT family of cysteine-rich secreted glycoproteins. Our previous high-throughput gene expression profiling revealed that WNT5A was up-regulated in highly metastatic cells. In the present study, we first confirmed the elevated expression of WNT5A in metastatic NPC tissues at both the mRNA and protein levels. We then found that WNT5A promoted epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in NPC cells, induced the accumulation of CD24-CD44+ cells and side population, which are believed to be cancer stem cell characteristics. Moreover, WNT5A promoted the migration and invasion of NPC cells in vitro, while in vivo treatment with recombinant WNT5A promoted lung metastasis. Knocking down WNT5A diminished NPC tumorigenesis in vivo. When elevated expression of WNT5A coincided with the elevated expression of vimentin in the primary NPC, the patients had a poorer prognosis. Among major signaling pathways, protein kinase C (PKC) signaling was activated by WNT5A in NPC cells. A positive feedback loop between WNT5A and phospho-PKC to promote EMT was also revealed. Taken together, these data suggest that WNT5A is an important molecule in promoting stem cell characteristics in NPC, leading to tumorigenesis and metastasis.
authors.affiliation: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China.|Hunan Province Engineering Research Center of Bioactive Substance Discovery of Traditional Chinese Medicine, School of Pharmacy, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China.|Division of Pharmacoproteomics, Institute of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: Division of Pharmacoproteomics, Institute of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Yan-Tao
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China.|Department of Radiotherapy, Ningde Municipal Hospital, Fujian Medical University Affiliated Hospital, Ningde, Fujian, China.
authors.forename: Fang-Jing
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Li-Xia
authors.initials: LX
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Chang-Fu
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Ying-Na
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.affiliation: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Ying-Ying
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China.|Brain Tumor Center and Department of Neuro-Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Xin-Jian
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Yan-Qun
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Xiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China.|Department of Ultrasonography, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: An-Hua
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China.|Department of Ultrasonography, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Ru-Hai
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.affiliation: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China.|Department of Ultrasonography, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Qing
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Pei
authors.affiliation: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Bi-Jun
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Tie-Bang
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Division of Stem Cell Regulation and Application, School of Pharmacy, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Duan-Fang
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Yi-Xin
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cell Signaling and Carcinogenesis, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: Bart O
authors.initials: BO
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China.|Department of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Chao-Nan
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Qian
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D063646:Carcinogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D002277:Carcinoma; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D005260:Female; D064593:Heterografts; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D000077274:Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D014162:Transfection; D051153:Wnt Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000071818:Wnt-5a Protein
chemical_list: D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C085389:WNT5A protein, human; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D000071818:Wnt-5a Protein
keywords: PKC; WNT5A; metastasis; nasopharyngeal carcinoma; tumorigenesis
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