WNT5A is a potent modulator of tumor cell proliferation and invasion overexpressed in pancreatic cancer

WNT5A is a secreted member of the Wnt multi-gene family which has been implicated in modulation of tumor progression in melanoma and lymphoma cells. Recently, we identified WNT5A as downstream target of the pro-invasive transcription factor CUTL1 downstream TGFbeta. To investigate the effect of WNT5A on proliferation and invasion, we used PANC1 pancreatic carcinoma cells stably overexpressing WNT5A as well as cells with a transient knock-down of WNT5A by RNA interference. We observed a significantly increased cell proliferation in WNT5A expressing cells, as assessed by cell counting, thymidine incorporation and…