Abstract 2169: The effect of WT1 on E-cadherin expression in prostate cancer cells

Abstract

Abstract Prostate carcinoma is the most common malignancy and second leading cause of death among American men. The molecular mechanisms that control the progression of this type of cancer are still poorly understood. One of the genes expressed in prostate cancer epithelium is the zinc finger transcription factor Wilms’ Tumor 1, WT1. Previous studies in our lab have shown WT1 protein in a majority of high grade prostate tumor sections with little or no WT1 staining in non-neoplastic or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) tissues. However, a mechanistic role for WT1 in prostate cancer has not been established. Recently, WT1 has been associated with the regulation of cell adhesion molecules such as E-cadherin in NIH 3T3 cells and epicardial cells. Loss of E-cadherin expression is frequently associated with increased cellular motility and tumor invasion. Several regulatory mechanisms controlling E-cadherin gene expression have been proposed in breast cancer cells, however the mechanisms of regulation of E-cadherin gene expression in prostate cancer cells are not yet understood. The objective of this study was to determine whether WT1 might regulate E-cadherin expression and contribute to cancer progression in prostate cancer cells. First, potential WT1 binding sites were identified in the promoter of the E-cadherin gene using a bioinformatics approach. Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) showed direct in vivo binding of WT1 to the E-cadherin promoter in the chromatin of LNCaP and PC3 cells. The effect of transfection of prostate cancer cells with a GFP/WT1 expression construct was then tested by quantitative real-time PCR (QRT-PCR). QRT-PCR results showed a decrease in E-cadherin transcripts in GFP/WT1 transfected prostate cancer cells. Conversely, knockdown of WT1 mRNA in siWT1 transfected LNCaP cells, showed increased levels of E-cadherin mRNA. Moreover, co-transfection of WT1 expression construct with an E-cadherin promoter reporter construct showed that WT1 decreased the activity of the proximal E-cadherin promoter in PC3 cells. Overall these results demonstrated that WT1 modulated E-cadherin expression in prostate cancer cells and suggests a novel mechanism whereby WT1 may increase migration by decreasing E-cadherin levels, a novel role for WT1 mediated prostate cancer progression. This work was supported by NIHR15CA11360 and Ohio Board of Regents. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2169. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-2169