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Kang YE, Kim JM, Kim KS, Chang JY, Jung M, Lee J, Yi S, Kim HW, Kim JT, Lee K, Choi MJ, Kang SK, Lee SE, Yi HS, Koo BS, Shong M. Upregulation of RSPO2- GPR48/LGR4 signaling in papillary thyroid carcinoma contributes to tumor progression. Oncotarget 2017; 8:114980-114994. [PMID: 29383135 PMCID: PMC5777747 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.22692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2017] [Accepted: 10/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The signaling pathway involving the R-spondins and its cognate receptor, GPR48/LGR4, is crucial in development and carcinogenesis. However, the functional implications of the R-spondin-GPR48/LGR4 pathway in thyroid remain to be identified. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of R-spondin-GPR48/LGR4 signaling in papillary thyroid carcinomas. We retrospectively reviewed a total of 214 patients who underwent total thyroidectomy and cervical lymph node dissection for papillary thyroid carcinoma. The role of GPR48/LGR4 in proliferation and migration was examined in thyroid cancer cell lines. R-spondin 2, and GPR48/LGR4 were expressed at significantly higher levels in thyroid cancer than in normal controls. Elevated GPR48/LGR4 expression was significantly associated with tumor size (P=0.049), lymph node metastasis (P=0.004), recurrence (P=0.037), and the BRAFV600E mutation (P=0.003). Moreover, high GPR48/LGR4 expression was an independent risk factor for lymph node metastasis (P=0.027) and the BRAFV600E mutation (P=0.009). in vitro assays demonstrated that elevated expression of GPR48/LGR4 promoted proliferation and migration of thyroid cancer cells, whereas downregulation of GPR48/LGR4 decreased proliferation and migration by inhibition of the β-catenin pathway. Moreover, treatment of thyroid cancer cells with exogenous R-spondin 2 induced activation of the β-catenin pathway through GPR48/LGR4. The R-spondin 2-GPR48/LGR4 signaling axis also induced the phosphorylation of ERK, as well as phosphorylation of LRP6 and serine 9 of GSK3β. Our findings demonstrate that upregulation of the R-spondin 2-GPR48/LGR4 pathway contributes to tumor aggressiveness in papillary thyroid carcinoma by promoting ERK phosphorylation, suggesting that this pathway represents a novel therapeutic target for treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yea Eun Kang
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 35015, South Korea
| | - Jin-Man Kim
- Department of Medical Science, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 35015, Republic of Korea.,Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 35015, Republic of Korea
| | - Koon Soon Kim
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 35015, South Korea.,Department of Medical Science, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 35015, Republic of Korea
| | - Joon Young Chang
- Department of Medical Science, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 35015, Republic of Korea
| | - Mingyu Jung
- Department of Medical Science, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 35015, Republic of Korea
| | - Junguee Lee
- Department of Pathology, Daejeon St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Daejeon 34943, Republic of Korea
| | - Shinae Yi
- Department of Medical Science, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 35015, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyeon Woo Kim
- Department of Medical Science, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 35015, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung Tae Kim
- Department of Medical Science, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 35015, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyungmin Lee
- Department of Medical Science, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 35015, Republic of Korea
| | - Min Jeong Choi
- Department of Medical Science, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 35015, Republic of Korea
| | - Seul Ki Kang
- Department of Medical Science, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 35015, Republic of Korea
| | - Seong Eun Lee
- Department of Medical Science, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 35015, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyon-Seung Yi
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 35015, South Korea
| | - Bon Seok Koo
- Department of Medical Science, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 35015, Republic of Korea.,Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 35015, Republic of Korea
| | - Minho Shong
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 35015, South Korea.,Department of Medical Science, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 35015, Republic of Korea
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