WNT5A–ROR2 is induced by inflammatory mediators and is involved in the migration of human ovarian cancer cell line SKOV-3

Abstract

BackgroundWnt5A, which is a member of the non-transforming Wnt protein family, is implicated in inflammatory processes. It is also highly expressed by ovarian cancer cells. ROR2, which is a member of the Ror-family of receptor tyrosine kinases, acts as a receptor or co-receptor for Wnt5A. The Wnt5A–ROR2 signaling pathway plays essential roles in the migration and invasion of several types of tumor cell and influences their cell polarity. We investigated the modulation of Wnt5A–ROR2 by inflammatory mediators and its involvement in the migration of the human ovarian cancer cell line SKOV-3.MethodsSKOV-3 cells were treated with LPS (lipopolysaccharide), LTA (lipoteichoic acid) and recombinant human IL-6 alone or in combination with STAT3 inhibitor (S1155S31-201) or NF-kB inhibitor (BAY11-7082) for 4, 8, 12, 24 and 48 h. The Wnt5A and ROR2 expression levels were determined at the gene and protein levels. Cells were transfected with specific siRNA against Wnt5A in the absence or presence of human anti-ROR2 antibody and cell migration was assessed using transwells.ResultsThere was a strong downregulation of Wnt5A expression in the presence of STAT3 or NF-kB inhibitors. Cell stimulation with LTA or IL-6 for 8 h led to significantly increased levels of Wnt5A (5- and 3-fold higher, respectively). LPS, LTA or IL-6 treatment significantly increased ROR2 expression (2-fold after 48 h). LPS- or LTA-induced Wnt5A or ROR2 expression was abrogated in the presence of STAT3 inhibitor (p < 0.001). IL-6-induced Wnt5A expression was abrogated by both STAT3 and NF-kB inhibitors (p < 0.001). Although not significant, IL-6-induced ROR2 expression showed a modest decrease when STAT3 inhibitor was used. Moreover, cell migration was decreased by 80 % in siRNA Wnt5A-transfected cells in the presence of anti-human ROR2 antibody (p < 0.001).ConclusionsThis study revealed for the first time that inflammatory mediators modulate Wnt5A and ROR2 through NF-kB and STAT3 transcription factors and this may play a role in ovarian cancer cell migration. The results described here provide new insight into the role of the Wnt5A–ROR2 complex in ovarian cancer progression in relation to inflammation.

Molecular genetics and targeted therapy of WNT-related human diseases (Review)

“…WNT/PCP or WNT5A/ROR/Frizzled signaling promotes invasion, survival and therapeutic resistance of human cancers ( 135 – 141 ), although WNT5A or non-canonical WNT/Ca 2+ signaling is context-dependently involved in tumor suppression ( 142 – 144 ). ROR1 is preferentially upregulated in B-cell leukemia, such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) ( 145 ) and t(1;19) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) ( 146 ).…”

MicroRNA-429 inhibits neuroblastoma cell proliferation, migration and invasion via the NF-κB pathway

“…We revealed that during the activation of the NF-κB pathway, miR-429 reduced the level of activated NF-κB by suppressing IKKβ. It has been reported that many other signaling pathways are also involved in tumor migration and other processes, such as the Wnt signaling pathway [33,34]. Whether there are other signaling pathways involved in neuroblastoma is a question worth exploring.…”

Possible repurposing of pyrvinium pamoate for the treatment of mesothelioma: A pre‐clinical assessment

“…ROR2 is recently emerging as a new target for anti-cancer therapeutic intervention, owing to its expression in several cancers, in which it strongly correlates with more aggressive disease states (Debebe & Rathmell, 2015;Yang et al, 2017). Moreover, in some cancer models, ROR2 has been demonstrated to be involved in migration, invasion, (Arabzadeh, Hossein, Salehi-Dulabi, & Zarnani, 2016;Henry, Llamosas, Djordjevic, Hacker, & Ford, 2016) and metastasis (Lai et al, 2012). Nevertheless, the expression and function of ROR2 have never been investigated in MM and deserve further investigation.…”