Abstract 711: The essential role of NKX6.3 in gastric cancer cell migration and invasion through targeting of Wnt/â-catenin and Rho-GTPase signaling pathways

Despite ongoing research and recent progress, the prognosis for patients with advanced gastric cancer remains poor. Wnt/â-catenin and Rho-GTPase signaling pathways are known to play essential roles in malignant transformation and progression of various tumours, including gastric cancer. Here, we identify that NKX6 transcription factor, locus 3 (NKX6.3) binds directly to specific promoter regions of Wnt/â-catenin and Rho-GTPase pathway-related genes, resulting in inhibition of cancer cell migration and invasion. Additionally, we find that the expression level of NKX6.3 is involved in regulation of gastric cancer progression and expression of Wnt/â-catenin and Rho-GTPase pathway-related genes in clinical samples. These results suggest that NKX6.3 prevents EMT and cell migration, implying that NKX6.3 inactivation might be one of the key mechanisms of gastric cancer cell invasion and metastasis and might serve as a potential candidate for targeted gastric cancer therapy. Citation Format: Jung Hwan Yoon, Won Suk Choi, Won Sang Park. The essential role of NKX6.3 in gastric cancer cell migration and invasion through targeting of Wnt/â-catenin and Rho-GTPase signaling pathways. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 711.