NLRC5 mediates cell proliferation, migration, and invasion by regulating the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

NLRC5, a newly discovered member of the NLR family, has been reported to regulate immune responses and promote cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma. However, to date, the potential regulatory roles and molecular mechanisms by which NLRC5 affects the development and progression of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) remain largely unknown. In this study, human clinical data from The Cancer Genome Atlas database revealed that increased NLRC5 expression was associated with advanced stage and poor prognosis in ccRCC patients. Moreover, experimental results showed that NLRC5 is aberrantly overexpressed in human ccRCC tissues and cell lines. Depletion of NLRC5 attenuated ccRCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and suppressed ccRCC growth in a nude mouse model. By contrast, overexpression of NLRC5 promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of ccRCC cells in vitro. Additionally, NLRC5 expression is not only positively correlated with β-catenin but also coordinates the activation of the downstream Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway. Together, our data suggest that NLRC5 may be a potential therapeutic target for ccRCC therapy.

Cancer letters. 2018 Dec 10 [Epub ahead of print]

Qin Wang, Handong Ding, Yinghua He, Xiaofeng Li, Yahui Chen, Qingqing Xu, Yue Yang, Guiyi Liao, Xiaoming Meng, Cheng Huang, Jun Li

Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Diseases, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, China; The Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicines, Ministry of Education, Hefei, 230022, China., Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, China; Institute of Urology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, China., Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Diseases, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, China; The Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicines, Ministry of Education, Hefei, 230022, China. Electronic address: ., Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Diseases, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, China; The Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicines, Ministry of Education, Hefei, 230022, China. Electronic address: .