Protein kinase C ζ is a positive modulator of canonical Wnt signaling pathway in tumoral colon cell lines

Carcinogenesis. 2011 Nov;32(11):1615-24. doi: 10.1093/carcin/bgr190. Epub 2011 Aug 22.

Abstract

The colonic epithelium is a continuously renewing tissue with a dynamic turnover of cells. Wnt pathway is a key regulator of its homeostasis and is altered in a large proportion of colon cancers. Protein kinase C (PKC) family of serine/threonine kinases are also involved in colon tumor formation and progression; however, the molecular role played by them in the Wnt pathway, is poorly understood. Reciprocal coimmunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence studies revealed that PKCζ interacts with β-catenin mainly in tumoral colon cells, which overexpressed this PKC isoform. The pharmacological inhibition, the small interference RNA-mediated knockdown of PKCζ or the expression of a dominant-negative form of it in tumoral SW480 cells, blocked in a dose-dependent manner the constitutive transcriptional activity mediated by β-catenin, the cell proliferation and the expression of the Wnt target gene c-myc. Remarkably, the PKCζ stably depleted cells exhibited diminished tumorigenic activity in grafted mice. We show that PKCζ functions in a mechanism that does not involve β-catenin degradation since the effects produced by PKCζ inhibition were also obtained in the presence of proteosome inhibitor and in cells expressing a β-catenin degradation-resistant mutant. It was found that PKCζ activity regulates the nuclear localization of β-catenin since PKCζ inhibition induces a rapid export of β-catenin from the nucleus to the cytoplasm in a Leptomycin B sensitive manner. Taken together, our results indicate that the atypical PKCζ plays an important role in the positive regulation of canonical Wnt pathway.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Blotting, Western
  • Cell Adhesion
  • Cell Movement
  • Cell Nucleus / metabolism*
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Colon / metabolism
  • Colonic Neoplasms / genetics
  • Colonic Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Colonic Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Fluorescent Antibody Technique
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Genes, Dominant
  • Humans
  • Immunoenzyme Techniques
  • Immunoprecipitation
  • Intestinal Mucosa / metabolism
  • Intestines / cytology
  • Luciferases / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Nude
  • Protein Kinase C / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Protein Kinase C / genetics
  • Protein Kinase C / metabolism*
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • RNA, Small Interfering / genetics
  • Rats
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Transcriptional Activation
  • Wnt Signaling Pathway*
  • beta Catenin / genetics
  • beta Catenin / metabolism*

Substances

  • CTNNB1 protein, human
  • RNA, Messenger
  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • beta Catenin
  • Luciferases
  • protein kinase C zeta
  • Protein Kinase C