Transmembrane protein with unknown function 16A overexpression promotes glioma formation through the nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway

Abstract

Ion channels have been suggested to be important in the development and progression of tumors, however, chloride channels have rarely been analyzed in tumorigenesis. More recently, transmembrane protein with unknown function 16A (TMEM16A), hypothesized to be a candidate calcium-activated Cl- channel, has been found to be overexpressed in a number of tumor types. Although several studies have implicated the overexpression of TMEM16A in certain tumor types, the exact role of TMEM16A in gliomas and the underlying mechanisms in tumorigenesis, remain poorly understood. In the present study, the role of TMEM16A in gliomas and the potential underlying mechanisms were analyzed. TMEM16A was highly abundant in various grades of gliomas and cultured glioma cells. Knockdown of TMEM16A suppressed cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Furthermore, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) was activated by overexpression of TMEM16A. In addition, TMEM16A regulated the expression of NF-κB-mediated genes, including cyclin D1, cyclin E and c-myc, involved in cell proliferation, and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)-2 and MMP-9, which are associated with the migration and invasion of glioma cells. Collectively, results of the present study provide evidence for the involvement of TMEM16A in gliomas and the potential mechanism through which TMEM16A promotes glioma formation.