WDR4 promotes the progression and lymphatic metastasis of bladder cancer via transcriptional down-regulation of ARRB2
Guoli Wang,
Xin He,
Huiqi Dai,
Lingyi Lin,
Wenmin Cao,
Yao Fu,
Wenli Diao,
Meng Ding,
Qing Zhang,
Wei Chen,
Hongqian Guo
Affiliations
Guoli Wang
Department of Urology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Clinical College of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine
Xin He
Department of Urology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Institute of Urology, Nanjing University
Huiqi Dai
Department of Urology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Clinical College of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine
Lingyi Lin
Department of Urology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Clinical College of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine
Wenmin Cao
Department of Urology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Institute of Urology, Nanjing University
Yao Fu
Department of Pathology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School
Wenli Diao
Department of Urology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Institute of Urology, Nanjing University
Meng Ding
Department of Urology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Institute of Urology, Nanjing University
Qing Zhang
Department of Urology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Institute of Urology, Nanjing University
Wei Chen
Department of Urology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Clinical College of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine
Hongqian Guo
Department of Urology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Clinical College of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine
Abstract Lymph node (LN) metastasis is one of the key prognostic factors in bladder cancer, but its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we found that elevated expression of WD repeat domain 4 (WDR4) in bladder cancer correlated with worse prognosis. WDR4 can promote the LN metastasis and proliferation of bladder cancer cells. Mechanistic studies showed that WDR4 can promote the nuclear localization of DEAD-box helicase 20 (DDX20) and act as an adaptor to bind DDX20 and Early growth response 1 (Egr1), thereby inhibiting Egr1-promoted transcriptional expression of arrestin beta 2 (ARRB2) and ultimately contributing to the progression of bladder cancer. Immunohistochemical analysis confirmed that WDR4 expression is also an independent predictor of LN metastasis in bladder cancer. Our results reveal a novel mechanism of LN metastasis and progression in bladder cancer and identify WDR4 as a potential therapeutic target for metastatic bladder cancer.
