Despite that ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) is involved in IL-6 promoted lung cancer chemotherapeutic resistance and metastasis, the exact role of ATM in tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) increasing tumor migration is still elusive. In the present study, we demonstrated that TNF-α promoted lung cancer cell migration by up-regulation of matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13). Notably, by gene silencing or kinase inhibition, we proposed for the first time that ATM is a key up-stream regulator of TNF-α activated ERK/p38-NF-κB pathway. The existence of TNF-α secreted in autocrine or paracrine manner by components of tumor microenvironment highlights the significance of TNF-α in inflammation-associated tumor metastasis. Importantly, in vivo lung cancer metastasis test showed that ATM depletion actually reduce the number of metastatic nodules and cancer nests in lung tissues, verifying the critical role of ATM in metastasis. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that ATM, which could be activated by lung cancer-associated TNF-α, up-regulate MMP-13 expression and thereby augment tumor metastasis. Therefore, ATM might be a promising target for prevention of inflammation-associated lung cancer metastasis.
Keywords: ataxia-telangiectasia mutated; lung cancer; matrix metalloproteinases; migration; tumor necrosis factor-alpha.