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WAC, a novel GBM tumor suppressor, induces GBM cell apoptosis and promotes autophagy

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Abstract

WAC is closely related to the occurrence and development of tumors. However, its role in human glioblastoma (GBM) and its potential regulatory mechanisms have not been investigated. This study demonstrated that WAC is downregulated in GBM, and its low expression predicts a poor prognosis. We investigated the effect of WAC on the proliferation of glioma cells through a CCK-8 assay, EdU incorporation, and cell formation. The effects of WAC on apoptosis and autophagy in glioma were determined by flow cytometry, TUNEL detection, immunofluorescence, q-PCR, WB, and scanning electron microscopy. We found that overexpression of WAC inhibited the proliferation of glioma cells, promoted apoptosis, and induced autophagy. Therefore, WAC is likely to play a role as a new regulatory molecule in glioma.

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Data availability

The data used to support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the personnel in the department of neurosurgery and the central laboratory at the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University.

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Author notes

  1. Yixuan Wang and Si Zhang should be considered joint first author.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, 238 Jiefang Street, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei, China

    Yixuan Wang, Si Zhang, Qian Sun, Fan’en Yuan, Linyao Zhao, Zhang Ye, Yong Li, Ronggui Wang, Hongxiang Jiang, Ping Hu, Daofeng Tian & Baohui Liu

  2. Central Laboratory, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei, China

    Yixuan Wang, Si Zhang, Qian Sun, Fan’en Yuan, Linyao Zhao, Zhang Ye, Yong Li, Ronggui Wang, Hongxiang Jiang, Ping Hu, Daofeng Tian & Baohui Liu

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  1. Yixuan Wang
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Contributions

BL and DT designed the research. YW and SZ carried out all the experimental work. FY, QS, LZ, ZY wrote the paper; YL, RW collected and assembled data; PH and HJ analyzed the data. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Daofeng Tian or Baohui Liu.

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The following information was supplied related to ethical approvals (i.e., approving body and any reference numbers): Institutional Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Medicine at Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University approval (2012LKSZ (010) H) to carry out the study within its facilities.

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12032_2021_1580_MOESM1_ESM.tif

Supplementary Fig. S1 WAC mRNA expression in different WHO grade according to TCGA, Gravendell and Rembrandt datasets. ns, no significance. ***P < 0.001. (TIF 208 kb)

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Wang, Y., Zhang, S., Sun, Q. et al. WAC, a novel GBM tumor suppressor, induces GBM cell apoptosis and promotes autophagy. Med Oncol 38, 132 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-021-01580-0

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