====== WIF1 ======

A study of Song et al., from the [[Beijing]] Neurosurgical Institute, Key Laboratory of Central Nervous System Injury Research, Center of Brain Tumor of Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, [[Tianjin]] First Central Hospital, Tianjin, [[China]], was designed to investigate the relationships between [[secreted frizzled related protein]]s (sFRPs), [[WIF1]] genes and the invasion of [[Nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma]]s (NFPAs) by [[tissue]] [[microassay]]s (TMAs) of samples from 163 [[patient]]s. Significantly weaker [[staining]] of WIF1 and [[sFRP4]] were detected in the invasive group compared with the non-invasive group by TMAs (p = 0.002, p < 0.001). [[Univariate]] analysis showed a significant correlation between tumor [[invasion]] and low expression of WIF1 and sFRP4 (p = 0.002, p < 0.001). A similar trend was observed when analyzing the [[mRNA]] and protein levels through [[RT-PCR]] and [[western blot]] experiments. [[Methylation]] of the [[WIF1]] promoter was significantly increased in invasive NFPAs compared with the noninvasive group (p = 0.004). The average [[progression free survival]] time in the high WIF1 group was longer than that in the low WIF1 group (p = 0.025). Furthermore, RT-PCR measured the levels of 11 miRNAs targeting WIF1 according to the [[Targetscan]] database and [[PubMed]]. The levels of [[mir 137]], miRNA-374a-5p and miRNA-374b-5p in the invasive group were 0.037-fold, 0.577-fold and 0.44-fold that of the noninvasive group (p = 0.003, p = 0.049 and p = 0.047). Overexpression of miRNA-137 could inhibit the proliferation and invasion of [[GH3]] cells through cell viability and  [[transwell migration assay]] (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the WIF1 level was upregulated after overexpression of miRNA-137 compared with miRNA-137-NC (control miRNA) in GH3 cells. 

This data suggest that WIF1 may be potential [[biomarker]] for the aggressiveness of NFPAs. [[mir 137]] plays an important role in the [[Wnt signaling pathway]] by affecting promoter methylation of [[WIF1]]
((Song W, Qian L, Jing G, Jie F, Xiaosong S, Chunhui L, Yangfang L, Guilin L,
Gao H, Yazhuo Z. Aberrant expression of the sFRP and WIF1 genes in invasive
non-functioning pituitary adenomas. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2018 Oct 15;474:168-175.
doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2018.03.005. Epub 2018 Mar 16. PubMed PMID: 29555596.
)).