Wnt/β-catenin signaling regulates amino acid metabolism through the suppression of CEBPA and FOXA1 in liver cancer cells [Array]

In this study, we showed that activated Wnt/β-catenin signaling suppressed HAL and ARG1, genes associated with cellular metabolism, via CEBPA and FOXA1 transcription factors. In contrast, inhibition of the Wnt signaling pathway increased HAL and ARG1, resulting in decreased intracellular levels of histidine and arginine in liver cancer cells. These data gain an insight into a new role of the Wnt signaling pathway in amino acid metabolism in liver cancer. Microarray expression analysis using HepG2 hepatoblastoma cells transfected with β-catenin, TCF7, TCF7L1, TCF7L2, and/or LEF1 siRNAs