NOTCH1 regulates migration and invasion of skin cancer cells by E-cadherin repression

Abstract

NOTCH1 is a regulator that functions not only in tissue development, but also in cancer pathogenesis. We hypothesized that NOTCH1 is involved in skin cancer cell migration and invasion through regulation of E-cadherin and its transcription factor, Snail. Here, using immunofluorescence and western blots, we show that NOTCH1 is upregulated in skin cancer tissue on skin. Inhibition or activation of NOTCH1 altered expression of E-cadherin and Snail in the skin cancer cell line A431. Our results suggest that this effect is through changing DNA methylation levels of the E-cadherin gene promoter. Activation and inhibition of NOTCH1 also altered the behavior of A431 cells in migration and invasion assays in vitro. Our results suggest NOTCH1 is a potential target for discovery of new drug to inhibit skin cancer metastasis.