Effects of DACT1 methylation status on invasion and metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

• Published in: Biological research Vol. 52; no. 1; p. 31
• Main Authors: Yang, Ju-Hong, Lin, Lie-Kun, Zhang, Song
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Portuguese
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 10.06.2019; BioMed Central; Sociedad de Biología de Chile; BMC
• Subjects: 5-Aza-2-deoxycytidine; BIOLOGY; Cancer invasiveness; Cancer metastasis; CNE2 cell line; DACT1 gene; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Development and progression; DNA; DNA methylation; Epigenetics; Gastric cancer; Genes; Genetic aspects; Health aspects; Invasion; Invasiveness; Kinases; Lymph nodes; Lymphatic system; Medical prognosis; Metastases; Metastasis; Methylation; mRNA; Nasopharyngeal cancer; Nasopharyngeal carcinoma; Oncogenes; Physiological aspects; Polymerase chain reaction; Statistical analysis; Throat cancer; Tumors; China; Nasopharyngeal carcinoma; CNE2 cell line; Metastasis; Invasion; 5-Aza-2-deoxycytidine; DACT1 gene
• ISSN: 0717-6287; 0716-9760; 0717-6287
• DOI: 10.1186/s40659-019-0238-3

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of the methylation status of the DACT1 gene on the invasion and metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells. The levels of methylation and expression of the DACT1 gene in nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues and CNE2 cells were determined by methylation-specific PCR and RT-PCR, respectively. CNE2 cells were treated with 5-aza-2-deoxycytidine, and the variation in the methylation status of the DACT1 gene was detected, as well as the influence of methylation on invasiveness of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells. The DACT1 gene was hyper-methylated in 44 of 62 cases of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The DACT1 gene was hyper-methylated in 32 of 38 cases of nasopharyngeal carcinoma with lymph node metastasis, and the DACT1 gene was hyper-methylated in 7 of 24 cases of nasopharyngeal carcinoma without lymph node metastasis. The DACT1 mRNA level was weakly expressed or not expressed in all nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues with hyper-methylated DACT1 genes; however, the DACT1 mRNA level was highly expressed in nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues with low expression of the methylated DACT1 gene. The DACT1 gene was hyper-methylated and not expressed in CNE2 cells that did not have 5-aza-2-deoxycytidine treatment. After 5-aza-2-deoxycytidine treatment, the DACT1 gene was demethylated and the expression of DACT1 was restored. Moreover, the invasion ability was inhibited in CNE2 cells treated with 5-aza-2-deoxycytidine. The expression of DACT1 was related to the methylation status. High expression of DACT1 may inhibit the invasion and metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells.