EMG1 interacts with NOP14 to regulate the growth, migration, and invasion of melanoma cells via the Wnt/β-catenin pathway

BACKGROUND: The role of EMG1 in the progression of malignant melanoma remains unclear. METHODS: Expression levels of EMG1 in melanoma tissues from GEO and TCGA databases was analyzed. The role of EMG1 was determined by overexpression on cell growth, apoptosis, migration and invasion. Glutathione S-transferase (GST) pulldown and co-immunoprecipitation (CoIP) assays were applied to reveal the relationship of EMG1 and nucleolar complex protein 14 (NOP14). RESULTS: The expression level of EMG1 was downregulated in melanoma tissues in GSE7553 dataset and further decreased in tissues from metastasis patients from both GEE7553 and TCGA cohorts. Overexpression of EMG1 suppressed proliferation, promoted apoptosis, and inhibited migration and invasion in melanoma cells. EMG1 interacted with NOP14 and functioned together to regulate the growth, apoptosis, migration and invasion of cultured melanoma cells. Furthermore, simultaneous overexpression of EMG1 and NOP14 decreased the levels of WNT3a, β-catenin, phosphorylated-GSK-3β, and c-Myc. CONCLUSIONS: EMG1 and NOP14 inhibit melanoma cell proliferation, migration, and invasion by regulating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.