RESUMO
Lysine-deficient protein kinase-1 (WNK1) is critical for both embryonic angiogenesis and tumor-induced angiogenesis. However, the downstream effectors of WNK1 during these processes remain ambiguous. In this study, we identified that oxidative stress responsive 1b (osr1b) is upregulated in endothelial cells in both embryonic and tumor-induced angiogenesis in zebrafish, accompanied by downregulation of protein phosphatase 2A (pp2a) subunit ppp2r1bb. In addition, wnk1a and osr1b are upregulated in two liver cancer transgenic fish models: [tert x p53-/-] and [HBx,src,p53-/-,RPIA], while ppp2r1bb is downregulated in [tert x p53-/-]. Furthermore, using HUVEC endothelial cells co-cultured with HepG2 hepatoma cells, we confirmed that WNK1 plays a critical role in the induction of hepatoma cell migration in both endothelial cells and hepatoma cells. Moreover, overexpression of OSR1 can rescue the reduced cell migration caused by shWNK1 knockdown in HUVEC cells, indicating OSR1 is downstream of WNK1 in endothelial cells promoting hepatoma cell migration. Overexpression of PPP2R1A can rescue the increased cell migration caused by WNK1 overexpression in HepG2, indicating that PPP2R1A is a downstream effector in hepatoma. The combinatorial treatment with WNK1 inhibitor (WNK463) and OSR1 inhibitor (Rafoxanide) plus oligo-fucoidan via oral gavage to feed [HBx,src,p53-/-,RPIA] transgenic fish exhibits much more significant anticancer efficacy than Regorafenib for advanced HCC. Importantly, oligo-fucoidan can reduce the cell senescence marker-IL-1ß expression. Furthermore, oligo-fucoidan reduces the increased cell senescence-associated ß-galactosidase activity in tert transgenic fish treated with WNK1-OSR1 inhibitors. Our results reveal the WNK1-OSR1-PPP2R1A axis plays a critical role in both endothelial and hepatoma cells during tumor-induced angiogenesis promoting cancer cell migration. By in vitro and in vivo experiments, we further uncover the molecular mechanisms of WNK1 and its downstream effectors during tumor-induced angiogenesis. Targeting WNK1-OSR1-mediated anti-angiogenesis and anti-cancer activity, the undesired inflammation response caused by inhibiting WNK1-OSR1 can be attenuated by the combination therapy with oligo-fucoidan and may improve the efficacy.
Assuntos
Carcinoma Hepatocelular , Neoplasias Hepáticas , Animais , Humanos , Proteína Quinase 1 Deficiente de Lisina WNK/genética , Proteína Quinase 1 Deficiente de Lisina WNK/metabolismo , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinases/genética , Peptídeos e Proteínas de Sinalização Intracelular/genética , Peptídeos e Proteínas de Sinalização Intracelular/metabolismo , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/tratamento farmacológico , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/genética , Peixe-Zebra/metabolismo , Rafoxanida , Proteína Fosfatase 2/metabolismo , Lisina , Proteína Supressora de Tumor p53 , Antígenos de Histocompatibilidade Menor , Neoplasias Hepáticas/tratamento farmacológico , Neoplasias Hepáticas/genética , Neovascularização Patológica/tratamento farmacológico , Neovascularização Patológica/genética , Células Endoteliais da Veia Umbilical Humana/metabolismo , Fatores de Transcrição/metabolismo , beta-Galactosidase/metabolismoRESUMO
With-no-lysine kinases (WNKs) are a novel family of serine/threonine protein kinases participating in ion homeostasis via the WNK-OSR1/SPAK-NKCC cascade. Recent studies of WNK1 have revealed that its related signaling pathways mediated tumor-induced angiogenesis and carcinogenesis and uncovered novel roles of WNK1 in endothelial cell migration and proliferation, tumor cell proliferation, and metastasis. Herein, we review the functions of WNK1 in cancer metastasis and angiogenesis and propose WNK1 targeting as an anti-cancer strategy.
