Involvement of TMEM16A/ANO1 upregulation in the oncogenesis of colorectal cancer

The Ca2+-activated Cl- channel ANO1 is widely expressed in epithelial cells, and ANO1 upregulation is implicated in the oncogenesis of many epithelium-originated cancers. However, whether ANO1 plays a causal role in the tumorigenesis of colorectal cancer remains largely unknown. Here, we show that ANO1 channel protein is upregulated in human colorectal cancer tissue samples and its upregulation is correlated with the TNM staging, histological type, pathological differentiation and poor prognosis. Knockdown or pharmacological inhibition of ANO1 suppresses colorectal cancer cell proliferation and induces cell apoptosis. Furthermore, ANO1 knockdown inhibits the growth of subcutaneous xenograft tumors implanted with colorectal cancer HT-29 cells in nude mice. Mechanically, knockdown of endogenous ANO1 inactivates the Wnt/β-catenin signaling through downregulating critical components, such as Frizzled protein 1, β-catenin and upregulating GSK3β. Taken together, our results demonstrate that ANO1 upregulation is involved in the tumorigenesis of colorectal cancer, and inhibition of ANO1 upregulation or inactivating downstream Wnt/β-catenin signaling may have therapeutic potential for colorectal cancer.