MTA1 promotes viability and motility in nasopharyngeal carcinoma by modulating IQGAP1 expression

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is frequently seen in Chinese, especially the population that resides in southeast China. Metastasis-associated protein 1 (MTA1) is a chromatin modifier and plays a role in tumor cell metastasis. IQGAP1 is a ubiquitously expressed protein that contributes to cytoskeleton remodeling. This study aimed to investigate the role of MTA1 and IQGAP1 in NPC malignant transformation. MTA1 and IQGAP1 expression in NPC (n = 43) and control tissues (n = 31) were detected using qRT-PCR, immunoblot, and immunohistochemistry. MTA1 was overexpressed in CNE-1 and CNE-2 cell line by pcDNA3.1/MTA1 transfection. Dominant-negative p53 was transfected to inhibit p53 activity. si-IQGAP1 or dominant-negative IQGAP1 (IQGAP1ΔGRD) was used to suppress IQGAP1 activity. Cell proliferation was measured by CKK-8 assay. Cell migration was evaluated by Transwell assay. The results showed that MTA1 and IQGAP1 were highly expressed in NPC tissues compared with the controls. Forced expression of MTA1 accelerated cell proliferation and migration and upregulated IQGAP1 expression in a p53-independent way. Knockdown of IQGAP1 or transfection of dominant-negative IQGAP1 impeded tumor cell proliferation and migration as well as PI3K/Akt signaling induced by MTA1. In conclusion, MTA1 participates in NPC malignant transformation via regulating IQGAP1 expression and PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.