Oncogenic effects of WNT5A in Epstein-Barr virus‑associated nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Lee Fah Yap, Munirah Ahmad, Muhammad Mamduh Ahmad Zabidi, Tai Lin Chu, San Jiun Chai, Hui Min Lee, Paul Vey Hong Lim, Wenbin Wei, Christopher Dawson, Soo-Hwang Teo, Alan Soo Beng Khoo

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The molecular events that drive the progression of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) are still to be elucidated. Here, we report for the first time the pathogenic significance of an NPC-associated gene, wingless-type MMTV integration site family, member 5A (WNT5A) and the contribution of EBV to its expression. WNT5A is a representative Wnt protein that activates non-canonical Wnt signalling. With regard to its role in carcinogenesis, there is conflicting evidence as to whether WNT5A has a tumour-promoting or tumour-suppressive role. We show that WNT5A is upregulated in primary NPC tissue samples. We also demonstrate that WNT5A expression was dramatically increased in NPC cell lines expressing the EBV-encoded LMP2A gene, suggesting that this EBV-encoded latent gene is responsible for upregulating WNT5A in NPC. In addition, in vitro WNT5A overexpression promotes the proliferation, migration and invasion of NPC cells. Our results not only reveal pro-tumorigenic effects of WNT5A in NPC but also suggest that WNT5A could be an important therapeutic target in patients with EBV-associated disease.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1774-80
Number of pages7
JournalInternational Journal of Oncology
Volume44
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2014

Keywords

  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Movement
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Epstein-Barr Virus Infections
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Humans
  • Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins
  • Viral Matrix Proteins
  • Wnt Proteins

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