WWOX

Gene Summary

Gene:WWOX; WW domain containing oxidoreductase
Aliases: FOR, WOX1, EIEE28, FRA16D, SCAR12, HHCMA56, PRO0128, SDR41C1, D16S432E
Location:16q23.1-q23.2
Summary:This gene encodes a member of the short-chain dehydrogenases/reductases (SDR) protein family. This gene spans the FRA16D common chromosomal fragile site and appears to function as a tumor suppressor gene. Expression of the encoded protein is able to induce apoptosis, while defects in this gene are associated with multiple types of cancer. Disruption of this gene is also associated with autosomal recessive spinocerebellar ataxia 12. Disruption of a similar gene in mouse results in impaired steroidogenesis, additionally suggesting a metabolic function for the protein. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants. [provided by RefSeq, May 2014]
Databases:OMIM, HGNC, Ensembl, GeneCard, Gene
Protein:WW domain-containing oxidoreductase
Source:NCBIAccessed: 31 August, 2019

Ontology:

What does this gene/protein do?
Show (25)

Cancer Overview

Research Indicators

Publications Per Year (1994-2019)
Graph generated 31 August 2019 using data from PubMed using criteria.

Literature Analysis

Mouse over the terms for more detail; many indicate links which you can click for dedicated pages about the topic.

  • S Phase
  • Staging
  • Single Nucleotide Polymorphism
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Tumor Suppressor Gene
  • Messenger RNA
  • Oxidoreductases
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins
  • Neural Crest
  • Estrogen Receptors
  • Neoplasm Proteins
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Breast Cancer
  • Apoptosis
  • Gene Deletion
  • Cancer Gene Expression Regulation
  • Promoter Regions
  • Review Literature as Topic
  • WWOX
  • Signal Transduction
  • Genetic Predisposition
  • Down-Regulation
  • DNA Methylation
  • Up-Regulation
  • Chromosome 16
  • WW Domain-Containing Oxidoreductase
  • Western Blotting
  • Loss of Heterozygosity
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Lung Cancer
  • RTPCR
  • Acid Anhydride Hydrolases
  • Chromosome Fragile Sites
  • Bone Cancer
  • Bladder Cancer
  • Transfection
  • Cervical Cancer
  • RT-PCR
  • Ovarian Cancer
  • Neoplastic Cell Transformation
  • Mutation
Tag cloud generated 31 August, 2019 using data from PubMed, MeSH and CancerIndex

Specific Cancers (6)

Data table showing topics related to specific cancers and associated disorders. Scope includes mutations and abnormal protein expression.

Note: list is not exhaustive. Number of papers are based on searches of PubMed (click on topic title for arbitrary criteria used).

Latest Publications: WWOX (cancer-related)

Khawaled S, Suh SS, Abdeen SK, et al.
WWOX Inhibits Metastasis of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells via Modulation of miRNAs.
Cancer Res. 2019; 79(8):1784-1798 [PubMed] Related Publications
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a heterogeneous, highly aggressive, and difficult to treat tumor type. The tumor suppressor

Lu Y, Kweon SS, Tanikawa C, et al.
Large-Scale Genome-Wide Association Study of East Asians Identifies Loci Associated With Risk for Colorectal Cancer.
Gastroenterology. 2019; 156(5):1455-1466 [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 01/04/2020 Related Publications
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have associated approximately 50 loci with risk of colorectal cancer (CRC)-nearly one third of these loci were initially associated with CRC in studies conducted in East Asian populations. We conducted a GWAS of East Asians to identify CRC risk loci and evaluate the generalizability of findings from GWASs of European populations to Asian populations.
METHODS: We analyzed genetic data from 22,775 patients with CRC (cases) and 47,731 individuals without cancer (controls) from 14 studies in the Asia Colorectal Cancer Consortium. First, we performed a meta-analysis of 7 GWASs (10,625 cases and 34,595 controls) and identified 46,554 promising risk variants for replication by adding them to the Multi-Ethnic Global Array (MEGA) for genotype analysis in 6445 cases and 7175 controls. These data were analyzed, along with data from an additional 5705 cases and 5961 controls genotyped using the OncoArray. We also obtained data from 57,976 cases and 67,242 controls of European descent. Variants at identified risk loci were functionally annotated and evaluated in correlation with gene expression levels.
RESULTS: A meta-analyses of all samples from people of Asian descent identified 13 loci and 1 new variant at a known locus (10q24.2) associated with risk of CRC at the genome-wide significance level of P < 5 × 10
CONCLUSIONS: We showed that most of the risk loci previously associated with CRC risk in individuals of European descent were also associated with CRC risk in East Asians. Furthermore, we identified 13 loci significantly associated with risk for CRC in Asians. Many of these loci contained genes that regulate the immune response, Wnt signaling to β-catenin, prostaglandin E2 catabolism, and cell pluripotency and proliferation. Further analyses of these genes and their variants is warranted, particularly for the 8 loci for which the lead CRC risk variants were not replicated in persons of European descent.

Hussain T, Liu B, Shrock MS, et al.
WWOX, the FRA16D gene: A target of and a contributor to genomic instability.
Genes Chromosomes Cancer. 2019; 58(5):324-338 [PubMed] Related Publications
WWOX is one of the largest human genes spanning over 1.11 Mbp in length at chr16q23.1-q23.2 and containing FRA16D, the second most common chromosomal fragile site. FRA16D is a hot spot of genomic instability, prone to breakage and for causing germline and somatic copy number variations (CNVs). Consequentially WWOX is frequent target for deletions in cancer. Esophageal, stomach, colon, bladder, ovarian, and uterine cancers are those most commonly affected by WWOX deep focal deletions. WWOX deletions significantly correlate with various clinicopathological features in esophageal carcinoma. WWOX is also a common target for translocations in multiple myeloma. By mapping R-loop (RNA:DNA hybrid) forming sequences (RFLS) we observe this to be a consistent feature aligning with germline and somatic CNV break points at the edges and core of FRA16D spanning from introns 5 to 8 of WWOX. Germline CNV polymorphisms affecting WWOX are extremely common in humans across different ethnic groups. Importantly, structural variants datasets allowed us to identify a specific hot spot for germline duplications and deletions within intron 5 of WWOX coinciding with the 5' edge of the FRA16D core and various RFLS. Recently, multiple pathogenic CNVs spanning WWOX have been identified associated with neurological conditions such as autism spectrum disorder, infantile epileptic encephalopathies, and other developmental anomalies. Loss of WWOX function has recently been associated with DNA damage repair abnormalities, increased genomic instability, and resistance to chemoradiotherapy. The described observations place WWOX both as a target of and a contributor to genomic instability. Both of these aspects will be discussed in this review.

Wang XH, Gan CZ, Xie JY
Inhibition of miR-24 suppresses malignancy of human non-small cell lung cancer cells by targeting WWOX in vitro and in vivo.
Thorac Cancer. 2018; 9(12):1583-1593 [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 01/04/2020 Related Publications
BACKGROUND: We investigated the effect of micro-RNA 24 (miR-24) and WWOX on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell proliferation and migration in vitro and in vivo.
METHODS: We performed bioinformatics analysis and 3' untranslated region luciferase assay to investigate the direct target of miR-24. Proliferation, apoptosis, and transwell invasion assays were employed to evaluate the effect of WWOX overexpression with pcDNA3-WWOX and knocking down miR-24 with miR-24 small interfering RNA. Quantitative real-time PCR, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry were also used to investigate miR-24 and c-Kit expression, and apoptosis and invasion-related proteins. Finally, we constructed a tumor xenograft model in nude mice to confirm the effect of miR-24 on NSCLC cell proliferation in vivo.
RESULTS: According to our experimental data, miR-24 inhibition could induce apoptosis by activating caspase 3 and suppress the viability and proliferation of NSCLC cells in vitro and in vivo. MiR-24 downregulation could reduce the invasive ability of NSCLC cells by downregulating MMP9. WWOX was identified as a functional target of miR-24. WWOX overexpression generated the same effect with antagonizing miR-24, while blocking WWOX counteracted the tumor suppressive effect caused by miR-24 inhibition. MiR-24 may function as an oncogene and play an important role in the cell growth and migration of NSCLC.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings enhance understanding of the miR-24 regulatory network and the molecular mechanism that underlies the oncogenesis and development of NSCLC. Suppressing the effect of miR-24 on cancer cells using a miR-24 inhibitor may be an attractive therapeutic strategy against NSCLC.

Bonin F, Taouis K, Azorin P, et al.
VOPP1 promotes breast tumorigenesis by interacting with the tumor suppressor WWOX.
BMC Biol. 2018; 16(1):109 [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 01/04/2020 Related Publications
BACKGROUND: The WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX) gene, frequently altered in breast cancer, encodes a tumor suppressor whose function is mediated through its interactions with cancer-related proteins, such as the pro-apoptotic protein p73α.
RESULTS: To better understand the involvement of WWOX in breast tumorigenesis, we performed a yeast two-hybrid screen and co-immunoprecipitation assays to identify novel partners of this protein. We characterized the vesicular overexpressed in cancer pro-survival protein 1 (VOPP1) as a new regulator of WWOX. In breast cancer cells, VOPP1 sequestrates WWOX in lysosomes, impairs its ability to associate with p73α, and inhibits WWOX-dependent apoptosis. Overexpressed VOPP1 potentiates cellular transformation and enhances the growth of transplanted tumors in vivo. VOPP1 is overexpressed in breast tumors, especially in tumors that retain WWOX. Moreover, increased expression of VOPP1 is associated with reduced survival of patients with WWOX-positive, but not with WWOX-negative, tumors.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings emphasize the importance of the sequestration of WWOX by VOPP1 in addition to WWOX loss in breast tumors and define VOPP1 as a novel oncogene promoting breast carcinogenesis by inhibiting the anti-tumoral effect of WWOX.

Yu J, Hu M, Chen W, Wen Z
Expression of B Cell-Specific Moloney Murine Leukemia Virus Integration Site 1 (BMI-1) and WW Domain-Containing Oxidoreductase (WWOX) in Liver Cancer Tissue and Normal Liver Tissue.
Med Sci Monit. 2018; 24:6673-6679 [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 01/04/2020 Related Publications
BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to compare the expression levels of mRNA of the B cell-specific Moloney murine leukemia virus integration site 1 (BMI-1) and the WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX) genes and their protein products in tissues from patients with liver cancer with normal liver tissues from patients without liver cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS The liver cancer group (N=56) included patients with available tissue samples of histologically confirmed liver cancer. The control group (N=24) included histologically confirmed normal liver tissue samples. Immunofluorescence staining and Western blot were used to detect and compare protein expression of Bmi-1 and WWOX in liver tissues in the liver cancer group and the control group. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect and compare mRNA expression of BMI-1 and WWOX in liver tissues in the liver cancer group and the control group. Expression levels of the protein and mRNA levels and the clinicopathological features including patient prognosis in liver cancer were evaluated statistically using analysis of variance (ANOVA). RESULTS There were significant differences in the expression levels of protein and mRNA of BMI-1 and WWOX between the liver cancer group and the control group. BMI-1 mRNA and protein expression were significantly increased, and WWOX mRNA and protein expression were significantly reduced in liver cancer tissue, compared with normal liver tissue (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS In liver cancer tissue compared with normal liver, the expression of BMI-1 and WWOX mRNA and their protein products were upregulated and down-regulated, respectively.

Chang R, Song L, Xu Y, et al.
Loss of Wwox drives metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer by JAK2/STAT3 axis.
Nat Commun. 2018; 9(1):3486 [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 01/04/2020 Related Publications
Loss of WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (Wwox) expression has been observed in breast cancer (BC). However, its regulatory effects are largely unknown, especially in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Herein, gene expression profiling revealed that JAK/STAT3 pathway was one of the most differentially modulated pathways in basal-like BC cells. The lower expression of Wwox was significantly correlated with high activation of STAT3 in basal-like cells and TNBC tissues. Overexpression of Wwox markedly inhibited proliferation and metastasis of BC cells by suppressing STAT3 activation, which is to interact with JAK2 to inhibit JAK2 and STAT3 phosphorylation. Furthermore, Wwox limited STAT3 binding to the interleukin-6 promoter, repressing expression of the IL-6 cytokine. Altogether, our data established that Wwox suppresses BC cell metastasis and proliferation by JAK2/STAT3 pathway. Targeting of Wwox with STAT3 could offer a promising therapeutic strategy for TNBC.

Lin YH, Hsiao YH, Wu WJ, et al.
Relationship of genetic variant distributions of WW domain-containing oxidoreductase gene with uterine cervical cancer.
Int J Med Sci. 2018; 15(10):1005-1013 [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 01/04/2020 Related Publications
To our knowledge, no study investigates the association of genetic variant distributions of WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX) gene with development of invasive cancer, clinicopathologic variables and patient survival in uterine cervical cancer for Taiwanese women. We therefore conducted this study to explore the clinical involvements of WWOX single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in cervical cancer. One hundred and thirty-one patients with cervical invasive cancer and 93 patients with precancerous lesions as well as 316 control women were consecutively enrolled. The genotypic frequencies of WWOX genetic variants rs73569323, rs383362, rs11545028, rs3764340 and rs12918952 were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction. The results revealed that only WWOX SNP rs3764340 was associated between patients with cervical invasive cancer and normal controls among 5 WWOX genetic variants. Cervical cancer patients with genotypes GA/AA in WWOX SNP rs12918952 were associated with parametrium invasion and pelvic lymph node metastasis. Univariate analysis found that WWOX SNPs rs73569323 and rs11545028 were associated with patient survival, whereas multivariate analysis revealed CT/TT in rs11545028 was the only genetic variant, which could predict better overall survival, among 5 WWOX SNPs in Taiwan. In conclusion, Taiwanese women with CG/GG in WWOX SNP rs3764340 are susceptible to cervical invasive cancer. Cervical cancer patients with GA/AA in rs12918952 tend to have more risk to develop parametrium invasion and pelvic lymph node metastasis. Among 5 WWOX SNPs, rs11545028 is the only genetic variant associated with patient survival, in which CT/TT could predict better overall survival in Taiwanese women.

Qu G, Ma Z, Tong W, Yang J
LncRNA WWOX‑AS1 inhibits the proliferation, migration and invasion of osteosarcoma cells.
Mol Med Rep. 2018; 18(1):779-788 [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 01/04/2020 Related Publications
Recently, numerous long non‑coding (lnc)RNAs have been revealed as serving important roles in human gene regulation. Previous studies have suggested that aberrant expression of lncRNAs is associated with cancer progression and metastasis. Previous studies have also demonstrated that decreased expression of WW domain‑containing oxidoreductase (WWOX) is associated with poor prognosis in numerous cancer types. However, the effect of WWOX antisense RNA 1 (WWOX‑AS1) in the development of cancer remains unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of WWOX‑AS1 in osteosarcoma. The expression levels of WWOX‑AS1 in human osteosarcoma cell lines and a normal osteoblastic cell line were investigated using reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‑qPCR). The results revealed that WWOX‑AS1 expression was downregulated in osteosarcoma tissues. Furthermore, the association between WWOX‑AS1 and the prognosis of patients with osteosarcoma was investigated using Kaplan‑Meier and log‑rank tests. The results suggested that patients exhibiting high WWOX‑AS1 expression demonstrated a greater overall survival compared with patients exhibiting low WWOX‑AS1 expression. In addition, overexpression and knockdown of WWOX‑AS1 was performed using transfection experiments and confirmed by RT‑qPCR in MG63 and SAOS2 cells, respectively. The results demonstrated that WWOX‑AS1 and WWOX expression were positively correlated. Furthermore, the results of the knockdown and overexpression functional experiments suggested that WWOX‑AS1 overexpression inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of MG63 cells, and knockdown of WWOX‑AS1 enhanced the proliferation, migration and invasion of MG63 cells in SAOS2 cells. In conclusion, the results of the present study suggested that WWOX‑AS1 may represent a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for the treatment of osteosarcoma.

Dębniak T, Scott RJ, Lea RA, et al.
Founder Mutations for Early Onset Melanoma as Revealed by Whole Exome Sequencing Suggests That This is Not Associated with the Increasing Incidence of Melanoma in Poland.
Cancer Res Treat. 2019; 51(1):337-344 [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 01/04/2020 Related Publications
PURPOSE: Germline mutations within melanoma susceptibility genes are present only in minority of melanoma patients and it is expected that additional genes will be discovered with next generation sequence technology and whole-exome sequencing (WES).
Materials and Methods: Herein we performed WES on a cohort of 96 unrelated Polish patients with melanoma diagnosed under the age of 40 years who all screened negative for the presence of CDKN2Avariants. A replication study using a set of 1,200 melanoma patient DNA samples and similarly large series of healthy controls was undertaken.
RESULTS: We selected 21 potentially deleterious variants in 20 genes (VRK1, MYCT1, DNAH14, CASC3, MS4A12, PRC1, WWOX, CARD6, EXO5, CASC3, CASP8AP2, STK33, SAMD11, CNDP2, CPNE1, EFCAB6, CABLES1, LEKR1, NUDT17, and RRP15), which were identified by WES and confirmed by Sanger sequencing for an association study. Evaluation of the allele distribution among carriers and their relatives in available family trios revealed that these variants were unlikely to account for many familial cases of melanoma. Replication study revealed no statistically significant differences between cases and controls.
CONCLUSION: Although most of the changes seemed to be neutral we could not exclude an association between variants in VRK1, CREB3L3, EXO5, and STK33 with melanoma risk.

Huang SS, Chang NS
Phosphorylation/de-phosphorylation in specific sites of tumor suppressor WWOX and control of distinct biological events.
Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2018; 243(2):137-147 [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 01/04/2020 Related Publications
Abnormal differentiation and growth of hematopoietic stem cells cause the development of hematopoietic diseases and hematopoietic malignancies. However, the molecular events underlying leukemia development are not well understood. In our recent study, we have demonstrated that calcium ionophore and phorbol ester force the differentiation of T lymphoblastic leukemia. The event involves a newly identified IκBα/WWOX/ERK signaling, in which WWOX is Ser14 phosphorylated. Additional evidence also reveals that pS14-WWOX is involved in enhancing cancer progression and metastasis and facilitating neurodegeneration. In this mini-review, we update the current knowledge for the functional roles of WWOX under physiological and pathological settings, and provide new insights regarding pS14-WWOX in T leukemia cell maturation, and switching the anticancer pY33-WWOX to pS14-WWOX for cancer promotion and disease progression. Impact statement WWOX was originally designated as a tumor suppressor. However, human newborns deficient in WWOX do not spontaneously develop tumors. Activated WWOX with Tyr33 phosphorylation is present in normal tissues and organs. However, when pY33-WWOX is overly induced under stress conditions, it becomes apoptotic to eliminate damaged cells. Notably, WWOX with Ser14 phosphorylation is upregulated in the lesions of cancer, as well as in the brain hippocampus and cortex with Alzheimer's disease. Suppression of pS14-WWOX by Zfra reduces cancer growth and mitigates Alzheimer's disease progression, suggesting that pS14-WWOX facilitates disease progression. pS14-WWOX can be regarded as a marker of disease progression.

Seabra MAL, Cândido EB, Vidigal PVT, et al.
Immunohistochemical WWOX Expression and Association with Angiogenesis, p53 Expression, Cell Proliferation and Clinicopathological Parameters in Cervical Cancer.
Rev Bras Ginecol Obstet. 2018; 40(2):79-85 [PubMed] Related Publications
OBJECTIVE:  The current study evaluated the expression of WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX), its association with clinicopathological features and with p53, Ki-67 (cell proliferation) and CD31 (angiogenesis) expression in patients with invasive cervical squamous cell carcinoma (ICSCC). To the best of our knowledge, no other study has evaluated this association.
METHODS:  Women with IB stage-ICSCC (
RESULTS:  The WWOX expression was significantly lower in the tumor compared with the expression in the benign cervix (
CONCLUSION:  The results suggested that WWOX may be involved in ICSCC carcinogenesis, and this marker was associated with tumor angiogenesis.

Bunai K, Okubo H, Hano K, et al.
TMEM207 hinders the tumour suppressor function of WWOX in oral squamous cell carcinoma.
J Cell Mol Med. 2018; 22(2):1026-1033 [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 01/04/2020 Related Publications
The WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX) functions as a tumour suppressor in oral carcinogenesis. As aberrant TMEM207 expression may lead to tumour progression by hampering the tumour suppressor function of WWOX in various cancers, we explored the expression and pathobiological properties of TMEM207, focusing on the WWOX-mediated regulation of the HIF-1α pathway in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). TMEM207 immunoreactivity was detected in 40 of 90 OSCC samples but not in neighbouring non-tumorous epithelial tissues. Moreover, TMEM207 expression was significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis and poor prognosis. An in situ proximal ligation assay demonstrated the colocalization of TMEM207 and WWOX in invasive OSCC cells, especially glycogen-rich ones. Enforced expression of TMEM207 abrogated the binding of WWOX to HIF-1α, increased HIF-1α and GLUT-1 expression, even under normoxic conditions, and promoted tumour growth in a xenoplant assay using SAS tongue squamous cancer cells. In contrast, TMEM207 knockdown decreased GLUT-1 expression in two OSCC cell lines. As a whole, our findings indicate that the aberrant expression of TMEM207 contributes to tumour progression in OSCC, possibly via promoting aerobic glycolysis.

Rozenblum E, Sotelo-Silveira JR, Kim GY, et al.
Novel near-diploid ovarian cancer cell line derived from a highly aneuploid metastatic ovarian tumor.
PLoS One. 2017; 12(8):e0182610 [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 01/04/2020 Related Publications
A new ovarian near-diploid cell line, OVDM1, was derived from a highly aneuploid serous ovarian metastatic adenocarcinoma. A metastatic tumor was obtained from a 47-year-old Ashkenazi Jewish patient three years after the first surgery removed the primary tumor, both ovaries, and the remaining reproductive organs. OVDM1 was characterized by cell morphology, genotyping, tumorigenic assay, mycoplasma testing, spectral karyotyping (SKY), and molecular profiling of the whole genome by aCGH and gene expression microarray. Targeted sequencing of a panel of cancer-related genes was also performed. Hierarchical clustering of gene expression data clearly confirmed the ovarian origin of the cell line. OVDM1 has a near-diploid karyotype with a low-level aneuploidy, but samples of the original metastatic tumor were grossly aneuploid. A number of single nucleotide variations (SNVs)/mutations were detected in OVDM1 and the metastatic tumor samples. Some of them were cancer-related according to COSMIC and HGMD databases (no founder mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 have been found). A large number of focal copy number alterations (FCNAs) were detected, including homozygous deletions (HDs) targeting WWOX and GATA4. Progression of OVDM1 from early to late passages was accompanied by preservation of the near-diploid status, acquisition of only few additional large chromosomal rearrangements and more than 100 new small FCNAs. Most of newly acquired FCNAs seem to be related to localized but massive DNA fragmentation (chromothripsis-like rearrangements). Newly developed near-diploid OVDM1 cell line offers an opportunity to evaluate tumorigenesis pathways/events in a minor clone of metastatic ovarian adenocarcinoma as well as mechanisms of chromothripsis.

Janczar S, Nautiyal J, Xiao Y, et al.
WWOX sensitises ovarian cancer cells to paclitaxel via modulation of the ER stress response.
Cell Death Dis. 2017; 8(7):e2955 [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 01/04/2020 Related Publications
There are clear gaps in our understanding of genes and pathways through which cancer cells facilitate survival strategies as they become chemoresistant. Paclitaxel is used in the treatment of many cancers, but development of drug resistance is common. Along with being an antimitotic agent paclitaxel also activates endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Here, we examine the role of WWOX (WW domain containing oxidoreductase), a gene frequently lost in several cancers, in mediating paclitaxel response. We examine the ER stress-mediated apoptotic response to paclitaxel in WWOX-transfected epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) cells and following siRNA knockdown of WWOX. We show that WWOX-induced apoptosis following exposure of EOC cells to paclitaxel is related to ER stress and independent of the antimitotic action of taxanes. The apoptotic response to ER stress induced by WWOX re-expression could be reversed by WWOX siRNA in EOC cells. We report that paclitaxel treatment activates both the IRE-1 and PERK kinases and that the increase in paclitaxel-mediated cell death through WWOX is dependent on active ER stress pathway. Log-rank analysis of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in two prominent EOC microarray data sets (Tothill and The Cancer Genome Atlas), encompassing ~800 patients in total, confirmed clinical relevance to our findings. High WWOX mRNA expression predicted longer OS and PFS in patients treated with paclitaxel, but not in patients who were treated with only cisplatin. The association of WWOX and survival was dependent on the expression level of glucose-related protein 78 (GRP78), a key ER stress marker in paclitaxel-treated patients. We conclude that WWOX sensitises EOC to paclitaxel via ER stress-induced apoptosis, and predicts clinical outcome in patients. Thus, ER stress response mechanisms could be targeted to overcome chemoresistance in cancer.

Ma D, Yang J, Wang Y, et al.
Whole exome sequencing identified genetic variations in Chinese hemangioblastoma patients.
Am J Med Genet A. 2017; 173(10):2605-2613 [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 01/04/2020 Related Publications
Hemangioblastomas (HBs) are uncommon tumors characterized by the presence of inactivating alterations in the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) gene in inherited cases and by infrequent somatic mutation in sporadic entities. We performed whole exome sequencing on 11 HB patients to further elucidate the genetics of HBs. A total of 270 somatic variations in 219 genes, of which there were 86 mutations in 67 genes, were found in sporadic HBs, and 184 mutations were found in 154 genes in familial HBs. C: G>T: A and T: A>C: G mutations are relatively common in most HB patients. Genes harboring the most significant mutations include PCDH9, KLHL12, DCAF4L1, and VHL in sporadic HBs, and ZNF814, DLG2, RIMS1, PNN, and MUC7 in familial HBs. The frequency of CNV varied considerably within sporadic HBs but was relatively similar within familial HBs. Five genes, including OTOGL, PLCB4, SCEL, THSD4, and WWOX, have CNVs in the six patients with sporadic HBs, and three genes, including ABCA6, CWC27, and LAMA2, have CNVs in the five patients with familial HBs. We found new genetic mutations and CNVs that might be involved in HBs; these findings highlight the complexity of the tumorigenesis of HBs and pinpoint potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of HBs.

Chen S, Wang H, Huang YF, et al.
WW domain-binding protein 2: an adaptor protein closely linked to the development of breast cancer.
Mol Cancer. 2017; 16(1):128 [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 01/04/2020 Related Publications
The WW domain is composed of 38 to 40 semi-conserved amino acids shared with structural, regulatory, and signaling proteins. WW domain-binding protein 2 (WBP2), as a binding partner of WW domain protein, interacts with several WW-domain-containing proteins, such as Yes kinase-associated protein (Yap), paired box gene 8 (Pax8), WW-domain-containing transcription regulator protein 1 (TAZ), and WW-domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX) through its PPxY motifs within C-terminal region, and further triggers the downstream signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo. Studies have confirmed that phosphorylated form of WBP2 can move into nuclei and activate the transcription of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR), whose expression were the indicators of breast cancer development, indicating that WBP2 may participate in the progression of breast cancer. Both overexpression of WBP2 and activation of tyrosine phosphorylation upregulate the signal cascades in the cross-regulation of the Wnt and ER signaling pathways in breast cancer. Following the binding of WBP2 to the WW domain region of TAZ which can accelerate migration, invasion and is required for the transformed phenotypes of breast cancer cells, the transformation of epithelial to mesenchymal of MCF10A is activated, suggesting that WBP2 is a key player in regulating cell migration. When WBP2 binds with WWOX, a tumor suppressor, ER transactivation and tumor growth can be suppressed. Thus, WBP2 may serve as a molecular on/off switch that controls the crosstalk between E2, WWOX, Wnt, TAZ, and other oncogenic signaling pathways. This review interprets the relationship between WBP2 and breast cancer, and provides comprehensive views about the function of WBP2 in the regulation of the pathogenesis of breast cancer and endocrine therapy in breast cancer treatment.

Hu CY, Wu HT, Su YC, et al.
Evodiamine Exerts an Anti-Hepatocellular Carcinoma Activity through a WWOX-Dependent Pathway.
Molecules. 2017; 22(7) [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 01/04/2020 Related Publications
Evodiamine is one of the main components isolated from

Smida J, Xu H, Zhang Y, et al.
Genome-wide analysis of somatic copy number alterations and chromosomal breakages in osteosarcoma.
Int J Cancer. 2017; 141(4):816-828 [PubMed] Related Publications
Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary malignant bone tumor in children and adolescents. It is characterized by highly complex karyotypes with structural and numerical chromosomal alterations. The observed OS-specific characteristics in localization and frequencies of chromosomal breakages strongly implicate a specific set of responsible driver genes or a specific mechanism of fragility induction. In this study, a comprehensive assessment of somatic copy number alterations (SCNAs) was performed in 160 OS samples using whole-genome CytoScan High Density arrays (Affymetrix, Santa Clara, CA). Genes or regions frequently targeted by SCNAs were identified. Breakage analysis revealed OS specific unstable regions in which well-known OS tumor suppressor genes, including TP53, RB1, WWOX, DLG2 and LSAMP are located. Certain genomic features, such as transposable elements and non-B DNA-forming motifs were found to be significantly enriched in the vicinity of chromosomal breakage sites. A complex breakage pattern-chromothripsis-has been suggested as a widespread phenomenon in OS. It was further demonstrated that hyperploidy and in particular chromothripsis were strongly correlated with OS patient clinical outcome. The revealed OS-specific fragility pattern provides novel clues for understanding the biology of OS.

Lee HL, Cheng HL, Liu YF, et al.
Functional genetic variant of WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX) gene is associated with hepatocellular carcinoma risk.
PLoS One. 2017; 12(4):e0176141 [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 01/04/2020 Related Publications
BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide. Human WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX) gene has been identified as a tumor suppressor gene in multiple cancers. We hypothesize that genetic variations in WWOX are associated with HCC risk.
METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the WWOX gene were evaluated from 708 normal controls and 354 patients with HCC. We identified a significant association between a WWOX single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs73569323, and decreased risk of HCC. After adjustment for potential confounders, patients with at least one T allele at rs11545028 of WWOX may have a significantly smaller tumor size, reduced levels of α-fetoprotein and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Moreover, the A allele at SNP rs12918952 in WWOX conferred higher risk of vascular invasion. Additional in silico analysis also suggests that WWOX rs12918952 polymorphism tends to affect WWOX expression, which in turn contributes to tumor vascular invasion.
CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, genetic variations in WWOX may be a significant predictor of early HCC occurrence and a reliable biomarker for disease progression.

Karras JR, Schrock MS, Batar B, Huebner K
Fragile Genes That Are Frequently Altered in Cancer: Players Not Passengers.
Cytogenet Genome Res. 2016; 150(3-4):208-216 [PubMed] Related Publications
FHIT, located at FRA3B, is one of the most commonly deleted genes in human cancers, and loss of FHIT protein is one of the earliest events in cancer initiation. However, location of FHIT at a chromosomal fragile site, a locus prone to breakage and gap formation under even mild replication stress, has encouraged claims that FHIT loss is a passenger event in cancers. We summarize accumulated evidence that FHIT protein functions as a genome "caretaker" required to protect the stability of genomes of normal cells of most tissues from agents causing intrinsic and extrinsic DNA damage. FHIT loss leads to intracellular replication stress and subsequent genome instability, which provides an opportunistic mutational landscape in preneoplasias for selection of a variety of other cancer-driving mutations. We also review evidence showing that FHIT loss leads to enhanced activation of other common fragile sites, including the FRA16D/WWOX locus, and creates optimal single-stranded DNA substrates for the hypermutator enzyme, APOBEC3B.

Bendinelli P, Maroni P, Matteucci E, Desiderio MA
Epigenetic regulation of HGF/Met receptor axis is critical for the outgrowth of bone metastasis from breast carcinoma.
Cell Death Dis. 2017; 8(2):e2578 [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 01/04/2020 Related Publications
Our translational research deals with the influence of microenvironment on the phenotype and colonization of bone metastases from breast carcinoma, and on pre-metastatic niche formation. The aim of the present study was to clarify the origin of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), ligand of Met receptor, the control of the axis HGF/Met by DNA methylation, and its importance for the nexus supportive cells-metastatic cells and for metastasis outgrowth. In bone metastasis of the 1833-xenograft model, DNA methyltransferase blockade using the chemotherapic drug 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (decitabine) strongly reduced the expression of HGF/Met receptor axis and of E-cadherin, with decrease of metastasis wideness and osteolysis, prolonging mice survival. Thus, DNA methylation events acted as commanders of breast carcinoma cells metastatizing to bone influencing the epithelial phenotype. HGF emerged as a bone-marrow stimulus, and the exosomes seemed to furnish HGF to metastatic cells. In fact, decitabine treatment similarly affected some markers of these microvesicles and HGF, indicating that its supply to recipient cells was prevented. Notably, in bone metastasis the hypomethylation of HGF, Met and E-cadherin promoters did not appear responsible for their elevated expression, but we suggest the involvement of hypermethylated regulators and of Wwox oncosuppressor, the latter being affected by decitabine. Wwox expression increased under decitabine strongly localizing in nuclei of bone metastases. We hypothesize a role of Wwox in Met activity since in vitro Wwox overexpression downregulated the level of nuclear-Met protein fragment and Met stability, also under long exposure of 1833 cells to decitabine. HGF enhanced phosphoMet and the activity in nuclei, an effect partially prevented by decitabine. Altogether, the data indicated the importance to target the tumor microenvironment by blocking epigenetic mechanisms, which control critical events for colonization such as HGF/Met axis and Wwox, as therapy of bone metastasis.

Maroni P, Matteucci E, Bendinelli P, Desiderio MA
Functions and Epigenetic Regulation of Wwox in Bone Metastasis from Breast Carcinoma: Comparison with Primary Tumors.
Int J Mol Sci. 2017; 18(1) [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 01/04/2020 Related Publications
Epigenetic mechanisms influence molecular patterns important for the bone-metastatic process, and here we highlight the role of WW-domain containing oxidoreductase (Wwox). The tumor-suppressor Wwox lacks in almost all cancer types; the variable expression in osteosarcomas is related to lung-metastasis formation, and exogenous Wwox destabilizes HIF-1α (subunit of Hypoxia inducible Factor-1, HIF-1) affecting aerobic glycolysis. Our recent studies show critical functions of Wwox present in 1833-osteotropic clone, in the corresponding xenograft model, and in human bone metastasis from breast carcinoma. In hypoxic-bone metastatic cells, Wwox enhances HIF-1α stabilization, phosphorylation, and nuclear translocation. Consistently, in bone-metastasis specimens Wwox localizes in cytosolic/perinuclear area, while TAZ (transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif) and HIF-1α co-localize in nuclei, playing specific regulatory mechanisms: TAZ is a co-factor of HIF-1, and Wwox regulates HIF-1 activity by controlling HIF-1α. In vitro, DNA methylation affects Wwox-protein synthesis; hypoxia decreases Wwox-protein level; hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) phosphorylates Wwox driving its nuclear shuttle, and counteracting a Twist program important for the epithelial phenotype and metastasis colonization. In agreement, in 1833-xenograft mice under DNA-methyltransferase blockade with decitabine, Wwox increases in nuclei/cytosol counteracting bone metastasis with prolongation of the survival. However, Wwox seems relevant for the autophagic process which sustains metastasis, enhancing more Beclin-1 than p62 protein levels, and p62 accumulates under decitabine consistent with adaptability of metastasis to therapy. In conclusion, Wwox methylation as a bone-metastasis therapeutic target would depend on autophagy conditions, and epigenetic mechanisms regulating Wwox may influence the phenotype of bone metastasis.

Schrock MS, Batar B, Lee J, et al.
Wwox-Brca1 interaction: role in DNA repair pathway choice.
Oncogene. 2017; 36(16):2215-2227 [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 01/04/2020 Related Publications
In this study, loss of expression of the fragile site-encoded Wwox protein was found to contribute to radiation and cisplatin resistance of cells, responses that could be associated with cancer recurrence and poor outcome. WWOX gene deletions occur in a variety of human cancer types, and reduced Wwox protein expression can be detected early during cancer development. We found that Wwox loss is followed by mild chromosome instability in genomes of mouse embryo fibroblast cells from Wwox-knockout mice. Human and mouse cells deficient for Wwox also exhibit significantly enhanced survival of ionizing radiation and bleomycin treatment, agents that induce double-strand breaks (DSBs). Cancer cells that survive radiation recur more rapidly in a xenograft model of irradiated breast cancer cells; Wwox-deficient cells exhibited significantly shorter tumor latencies vs Wwox-expressing cells. This Wwox effect has important consequences in human disease: in a cohort of cancer patients treated with radiation, Wwox deficiency significantly correlated with shorter overall survival times. In examining mechanisms underlying Wwox-dependent survival differences, we found that Wwox-deficient cells exhibit enhanced homology directed repair (HDR) and decreased non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) repair, suggesting that Wwox contributes to DNA DSB repair pathway choice. Upon silencing of Rad51, a protein critical for HDR, Wwox-deficient cells were resensitized to radiation. We also demonstrated interaction of Wwox with Brca1, a driver of HDR, and show via immunofluorescent detection of repair proteins at ionizing radiation-induced DNA damage foci that Wwox expression suppresses DSB repair at the end-resection step of HDR. We propose a genome caretaker function for WWOX, in which Brca1-Wwox interaction supports NHEJ as the dominant DSB repair pathway in Wwox-sufficient cells. Taken together, the experimental results suggest that reduced Wwox expression, a common occurrence in cancers, dysregulates DSB repair, enhancing efficiency of likely mutagenic repair, and enabling radiation and cisplatin treatment resistance.

Gao K, Yin J, Dong J
Deregulated WWOX is involved in a negative feedback loop with microRNA-214-3p in osteosarcoma.
Int J Mol Med. 2016; 38(6):1850-1856 [PubMed] Related Publications
WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX) is frequently inactivated in human osteosarcoma, and the restoration of its expression can suppress tumorigenicity in WWOX-negative OS cells. However, its regulatory mechanisms remain to be fully elucidated. In the present study, we demonstrate that WWOX is downregulated and that it regulates proliferation and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-associated protein expression in osteosarcoma. As shown by our results, WWOX overexpression by transfection with WWOX overexpression plasmids suppressed the proliferation, migration and invasion of osteosarcoma MG63 cells (as shown by MTT and migration and invasion assays). The silencing of microRNA (miR)‑214‑3p by transfection with anti-miR‑14‑3p upregulated WWOX protein expression and also inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of osteosarcoma cells. Additionally, we found that WWOX negatively regulated miR‑214‑3p and miR‑10b expression. Our findings define a negative feedback pathway in control of WWOX and miR‑214‑3p expression, thus providing novel molecular targets for the treatment of osteosarcoma.

Zheng QW, Zhou YL, You QJ, et al.
WWOX inhibits the invasion of lung cancer cells by downregulating RUNX2.
Cancer Gene Ther. 2016; 23(12):433-438 [PubMed] Related Publications
The WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX) is a tumor suppressor that is lost or decreased in most human tumors. The role of WWOX in human lung carcinoma invasion is still not clear. This study aimed to elucidate the potential role of WWOX in lung cancer cell invasion. WWOX mRNA levels in human lung cancers and lung cancer cell lines were assayed by quantitative real-time PCR. WWOX in lung cancer cell lines was manipulated by transfection of expression vector or small interfering RNA. Cell migration and invasion were assessed by wound healing and/or transwell migration and invasion assays. The protein levels of WWOX, E-cadherin and RUNX2 were analyzed by western blot or immunofluorescence. WWOX expression is inversely correlated to invasiveness of lung cancer. WWOX overexpression in highly invasive H1299 cells reduced cell motility and invasiveness, and inhibited the expression of RUNX2 and its target gene matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9). Silencing WWOX in less invasive NL9980 cells resulted in opposite effects. Overexpressing RUNX2 in H1299 or silencing RUNX2 in NL9980 cells reversed the effects of WWOX. These results suggested that WWOX inhibited the invasive phenotype of lung cancer through downregulating the expression of RUNX2.

Schrock MS, Karras JR, Guggenbiller MJ, et al.
Fhit and Wwox loss-associated genome instability: A genome caretaker one-two punch.
Adv Biol Regul. 2017; 63:167-176 [PubMed] Related Publications
Expression of Fhit and Wwox protein is frequently lost or reduced in many human cancers. In this report, we provide data that further characterizes the molecular consequences of Fhit loss in the initiation of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), and of Wwox loss in altered repair of DSBs. We show that loss of Fhit initiates mild genome instability in early passage mouse kidney cells, confirming that DNA damage associated with Fhit-deficiency is not limited to cancer cells. We also demonstrate that the cause of Fhit-deficient DSBs: thymidine deficiency-induced replication stress, can be resolved with thymidine supplementation in early passage mouse kidney cells before extensive genome instability occurs. As for consequences of Wwox loss in cancer, we show in a small panel of breast cancer cells and mouse embryonic fibroblasts that Wwox expression predicts response to radiation and mitomycin C, all agents that cause DSBs. In addition, loss of Wwox significantly reduced progression free survival in a cohort of ovarian cancer patients treated with platin-based chemotherapies. Finally, stratification of a cohort of squamous lung cancers by Fhit expression reveals that Wwox expression is significantly reduced in the low Fhit-expressing group, suggesting that loss of Fhit is quickly succeeded by loss of Wwox. We propose that Fhit and Wwox loss work synergistically in cancer progression and that DNA damage caused by Fhit could be targeted early in cancer initiation for prevention, while DNA damage caused by Wwox loss could be targeted later in cancer progression, particularly in cancers that develop resistance to genotoxic therapies.

Cheng HL, Liu YF, Su CW, et al.
Functional genetic variant in the Kozak sequence of WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX) gene is associated with oral cancer risk.
Oncotarget. 2016; 7(43):69384-69396 [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 01/04/2020 Related Publications
In Taiwan, oral cancer is the fourth leading cancer in males and is associated with exposure to environmental carcinogens. WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX), a tumor suppressor gene, is associated with the development of various cancers. We hypothesized that genetic variants of WWOX influence the susceptibility to oral cancer. Five polymorphisms of WWOX gene from 761 male patients with oral cancer and 1199 male cancer-free individuals were genotyped. We observed that individuals carrying the polymorphic allele of WWOX rs11545028 are more susceptible to oral cancer. Furthermore, patients with advanced-stage oral cancer were associated with a higher frequency of WWOX rs11545028 polymorphisms with the variant genotype TT than did patients with the wild-type gene. An additional integrated in silico analysis confirmed that rs11545028 affects WWOX expression, which significantly correlates with tumor expression and subsequently with tumor development and aggressiveness. In conclusion, genetic variants of WWOX contribute to the occurrence of oral cancer, and the findings regarding these biomarkers provided a prediction model for risk assessment.

Traczyk-Borszynska M, Borkowska E, Jablonowski Z, et al.
Genetic diversity of urinary bladder cancer and the risk of recurrence based on mutation analysis.
Neoplasma. 2016; 63(6):952-960 [PubMed] Related Publications
The aim of the study was to assess the genetic diversity of bladder cancer and determine the suitability of a proposed molecular marker panel to monitor the course of bladder cancer patients. The study involved 185 patients with diagnosed bladder cancer. The genetic diversity of the bladder cancer was evaluated by the prevalence of mutations in the TP53, HRAS, FGFR3 and WWOX genes. Mutations were detected in 62.2% of the tumor samples. The most frequently mutated genes were FGFR3 (49.7%) and TP53 (16.2%). No mutation was observed in the WWOX gene. FGFR3 mutations, contrary to TP53, correlated with lower tumor stage and grade, and the presence of multiple tumors. The risk of death was significantly higher in patients with TP53 mutant tumors (HR=3.12; 95%CI: 1.14-7.27; p=0.006) but lower in patients with FGFR3 mutations (HR=0.36; 95%CI: 0.15-0.87; p=0.002). None of the investigated genes was an independent predictor of disease-specific survival, recurrence-free survival or progression-free survival. The results confirm the existence of two alternative pathways of bladder cancer. However the presence of a high percentage of wild type variants in the higher stages of the disease suggest the existence of another pathway of molecular changes leading to the development of bladder cancer. Molecular analysis may have prognostic value and may facilitate the assignment of patients to appropriate forms of treatment - especially in the case of patients with a T1 tumor, where different mutational patterns were observed in each grade.

Nishikawaji T, Akiyama Y, Shimada S, et al.
Oncogenic roles of the SETDB2 histone methyltransferase in gastric cancer.
Oncotarget. 2016; 7(41):67251-67265 [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 01/04/2020 Related Publications
SETDB2 is a histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9) tri-methyltransferase that is involved in transcriptional gene silencing. Since it is still unknown whether SETDB2 is linked to carcinogenesis, we studied alterations and functions of SETDB2 in human gastric cancers (GCs). SETDB2 protein was highly expressed in 30 of 72 (41.7%) primary GC tissues compared with their normal counterparts by immunohistochemistry. SETDB2 overexpression was significantly associated with the late stage of GCs (P<0.05) and poor prognosis of GC patients (P<0.05). The GC cell lines with SETDB2 knockdown and overexpression significantly decreased and increased cell proliferation, migration and invasion, respectively (P<0.05). Knockdown of SETDB2 in MKN74 and MKN45 cells reduced global H3K9 tri-methylation (me3) levels. Microarray analysis indicated that expression of WWOX and CADM1, tumor suppressor genes, was significantly enhanced in MKN74 cells after SETDB2 knockdown. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed that the H3K9me3 levels at the promoter regions of these two genes corresponded to the SETDB2 expression levels in GC cells. Moreover, ectopic SETDB2 protein was recruited to their promoter regions. Our data suggest that SETDB2 is associated with transcriptional repression of WWOX and CADM1, and hence overexpression of SETDB2 may contribute to GC progression.

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