Upregulation of annexin A1 expression by butyrate in human melanoma cells induces invasion by inhibiting E-cadherin expression

In this study, we examined the potential role of annexin A1 (ANXA1), which was previously reported to promote EMT in breast cancer cells, as a mediator of EMT regulation by butyrate. We found that ANXA1 mRNA and protein were expressed in highly invasive melanoma cell lines (A2058 and A375), but not in SK-MEL-5 cells, which are less invasive. We also showed that butyrate induced ANXA1 mRNA and protein expression and promoted EMT-related cell invasion in SK-MEL-5 cells. Downregulation of ANXA1 expression using specific small interfering RNAs in butyrate-treated SK-MEL-5 cells resulted in increased expression of the epithelial marker E-cadherin and decreased cell invasion. Moreover, overexpressing ANXA1 decreased the expression of the E-cadherin. Collectively, these results indicate that butyrate induces the expression of ANXA1 in human melanoma cells, which then promotes invasion through activating the EMT signaling pathway.
Source: Tumor Biology - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research