Hypoxia differently regulates the proportion of ALDHhi cells in lung squamous carcinoma H520 and adenocarcinoma A549 cells via the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Abstract

Background: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a specific subpopulation of cancer cells with the ability of self-renewal, infinite proliferation, multidifferentiation and tumorigenicity, and play critical roles in cancer progression and treatment resistance. CSCs are tightly regulated by the tumor microenvironment, such as hypoxia; however, how hypoxia regulates CSCs in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unclear.

Methods: The proportion of ALDH^hi cells was examined using the Aldefluor assay. Tankyrase inhibitor XAV939 and siRNA were used to inhibit β-catenin while pcDNA3-β-catenin (S33Y) plasmid enhanced the expression of β-catenin. Western blot was administered for protein detection. The mRNA expression was measured by quantitative real-time PCR.

Results: We found that hypoxia led to an increase in the proportion of ALDH^hi cells in lung squamous carcinoma (LUSC) H520 cells, while causing a decrease in the ALDH^hi cell proportion in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) A549 cells. Similarly, β-catenin expression was upregulated in H520 cells but downregulated in A549 cells upon exposure to hypoxia. Mechanically, the proportion of ALDH^hi cells in both cell lines was decreased by β-catenin inhibitor or siRNA knockdown, whereas increased after β-catenin overexpression. Furthermore, hypoxia treatment suppressed E-cadherin expression in H520 cells and enhanced N-cadherin and β-catenin expression, while this effect was completely opposite in A549 cells.

Conclusion: The hypoxia-EMT-β-catenin axis functions as an important regulator for the proportion of CSCs in NSCLC and could potentially be explored as therapeutic targets in the future.