CARD-recruited
membrane-associated protein 3 (CARMA3) is overexpressed in various
cancers and is associated with
cancer cell proliferation,
metastasis, and
tumor progression; however, the underlying mechanisms of CARMA3 in
colorectal cancer (CRC)
metastasis remain unclear. Here, we found that higher CARMA3 expression was correlated with poor overall survival and
metastasis in CRC patients from the TNMplot database and Human Tissue Microarray staining. Elevating CARMA3 expression promoted cell proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) induction, migration/invasion abilities, sphere formation, and cancer stem cell markers expression. Knockdown of CARMA3 decreased these processes via the EMT-related
transcription factor Slug. Moreover, CARMA3 depletion significantly reduced
tumor growth in mice that were consistent with the in vitro results. CRC migration/invasion could be regulated by CARMA3/YAP/Slug signaling axis using genetic inhibition of Yes-associated
protein (YAP). Interestingly, CARMA3 induced activation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB through YAP expression, contributing to upregulation of Slug. YAP expression positively correlated with CARMA3, NF-κB, and Slug gene expression and poor clinical outcomes in CRC patients. Our findings demonstrate for the first time that CARMA3 plays an important role in CRC progression, which may serve as a potential diagnostic
biomarker and candidate therapeutic target for CRC treatment.