Targeting NEK2 impairs oncogenesis and radioresistance via inhibiting the Wnt1/β-catenin signaling pathway in cervical cancer.

Background: NEK2, a serine/threonine kinase involved in mitosis, has been found to function in chromosome instability, tumor progression and metastasis, but its role in cervical cancer radioresistance remains unknown.

Methods: We detected the protein levels of NEK2 in cervical carcinoma tissues and paired paracarcinoma tissues by immunohistochemistry. The roles of NEK2 in oncogenesis were examined using cell growth and colony formation assays, EdU assay, apoptosis assay as well as in vivo mouse model. γ-H2AX and Rad51 foci formation, neutral comet assay and clonogenic cell survival assay were applied to determine the radiosensitivity of cervical cancer cells. RNA-seq was performed to identify the downstream effector of NEK2. The gene expression levels were measured by Real-time PCR.

Results: We report that NEK2 protein level is overexpressed and correlated with the tumor stage and lymph node metastasis in cervical cancer tissues. Furthermore, we provided evidence that depletion of NEK2 impairs oncogenesis and enhances radiosensitivity in cervical cancer. Using RNA sequencing, we identify Wnt1 as a key downstream effector of NEK2. Knockdown of NEK2 downregulates the mRNA and protein levels of Wnt1, thereby inhibiting the activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. More importantly, the observed consequences induced by NEK2 depletion in cervical cancer cells can be partially rescued by Wnt1 overexpression.

Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that NEK2 activates the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway via Wnt1 to drive oncogenesis and radioresistance in cervical cancer, indicating that NEK2 may be a promising target for the radiosensitization of cervical cancer.