Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway-Regulated Fibromodulin Expression Is Crucial for Breast Cancer Metastasis and Inhibited by Aspirin

Emerging evidence suggests that fibromodulin (FMOD), an extracellular matrix protein, is associated with cancer, and yet little is known about the regulation of FMOD expression and its role in cancer metastasis. Aspirin, a classic anti-inflammatory drug, has been indicated to offer anticancer benefits, but its action targets and mechanisms remain obscure. In the present study using cell lines, animal model and database analysis, we show that FMOD is crucial for breast cancer cell migration and invasion (BCCMI) via activation of ERK; expression of FMOD is regulated positively by the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, wherein the β-catenin/TCF4/LEF1 complex binds the FMOD promoter to transcribe FMOD. Aspirin inhibits BCCMI by attenuating Wnt/β-catenin signaling and suppressing FMOD expression via inhibiting deacetylation of β-catenin by histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) leading to β-catenin phosphorylation and cytoplasmic degradation. Moreover, expression of the transcriptional complex components β-catenin/TCF4/LEF1 is upregulated by the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, constituting positive feedback loops that amplify its signal output. Our findings identify a critical role of FMOD in cancer metastasis, reveal a mechanism regulating FMOD transcription and impacting tumor metastasis, uncover action targets and mechanism for the anticancer activity of Aspirin, and expand the understanding of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and tumor metastasis, which are valuable for development of cancer therapeutics.