UNC119 promotes the malignant progression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells by regulating Wnt/β-catenin pathway

ABSTRACT: UNC119, also known as human retinal gene 4 (HRG4), has been found to contribute to the tumorigenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the role and mechanism of UNC119 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma has not been systematically investigated yet. Data from western blot and RT-qPCR assays showed that UNC119 was elevated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells and tissues. Functional assays demonstrated that transfection with siRNA targeting UNC119 reduced cell viability and suppressed proliferation, invasion, and migration of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells. Moreover, silence of UNC119 decreased the protein expressions of N-cadherin and vimentin while, on the other hand, increased the protein expressions of E-cadherin and zonula occludes-1 (ZO-1) to suppress epithelial-mesenchymal transition in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The protein expressions of Axin2 and adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) were up-regulated, while ?-catenin and matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) were down-regulated by silence of UNC119 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells. In conclusion, knockdown of UNC119 suppressed cell growth and metastasis, and repressed epithelial-mesenchymal transition in nasopharyngeal carcinoma through inactivation of Wnt/?-catenin pathway. test

Download PDF

93 Downloads 1287 Views

^a	Department of Otolaryngology, Hangzhou Hospital of Zhejiang Medical and Health Group, Zhejiang 310022 China
^b	Department of Oncology Radiotherapy, Hangzhou Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang University Medical College, Zhejiang 310008 China
^c	Department of Emergency, Hangzhou Hospital of Zhejiang Medical and Health Group, Zhejiang 310022 China

* Corresponding author, E-mail: huangxinwen10722@163.com

Received 28 Jul 2021, Accepted 10 Jan 2022