A t-butyloxycarbonyl-modified Wnt5a-derived hexapeptide functions as a potent antagonist of Wnt5a-dependent melanoma cell invasion.

ABSTRACT: The influential role of Wnt5a in tumor progression underscores the requirement for developing molecules that can target Wnt5a-mediated cellular responses. In the aggressive skin cancer, melanoma, elevated Wnt5a expression promotes cell motility and drives metastasis. Two approaches can be used to counteract these effects: inhibition of Wnt5a expression or direct blockade of Wnt5a signaling. We have investigated both options in the melanoma cell lines, A2058 and HTB63. Both express Frizzled-5, which has been implicated as the receptor for Wnt5a in melanoma cells. However, only the HTB63 cell line expresses and secretes Wnt5a. In these cells, the cytokine, TGFbeta1, controlled the expression of Wnt5a, but due to the unpredictable effects of TGFbeta1 signaling on melanoma cell motility, targe

SUBMITTER: Jenei V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2780806 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature