MACC1 promotes carcinogenesis of colorectal cancer via β-catenin signaling pathway

Here we confirmed that metastasis-associated in colon cancer 1 (MACC1) and beta-catenin expression were higher in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells and tissues than those in normal colonic epithelial cell line and adjacent non-tumour colorectal mucosa (ANM) tissues, respectively. MACC1 expression was significantly related to histological differentiation (p<0.001), UICC stage (p=0.029), T classification (p=0.017), and N classification (p=0.023). Cox regression analysis demonstrated that high MACC1/abnormal beta-catenin expression was the strongest independent prognostic indicator for reduced overall survival in CRC patients. Significant positive correlation between MACC1 expression and abnormal beta-catenin expression was found in CRC tissues. MACC1 knockdown dramatically inhibited cellular proliferation, migration, invasion, colony formation, and tumorigenesis, both in vitro and in vivo, but induced apoptosis in CRC cells. Further MACC1 over-expression increased Met, beta-catenin, and its downstream genes including c-Myc, cyclin D1, and MMP9 expression, and its upstream gene phos-GSK3 beta (Ser9) expression. In addition, MACC1 increased vimentin and suppressed E-cadherin in HCT116 cells. Silencing of MACC1 reversed all these changes. Our results firstly suggest that MACC1 plays an important role in carcinogenesis and progression of CRC through beta-catenin signaling pathway and mesenchymal-epithelial transition.