Cell Communication Network Factor 4 (CCN4/WISP1) Shifts Melanoma Cells from a Fragile Proliferative State to a Resilient Metastatic State

Introduction Cellular communication network factor 4 (CCN4/WISP1) is a secreted matricellular protein that stimulates metastasis in multiple malignancies but has an unclear impact on phenotypic changes in melanoma. Recent data using cells edited via a double-nickase CRISPR/Cas9 approach suggest that CCN4/WISP1 stimulates invasion and metastasis of melanoma cells. While these data also suggest that loss of CCN4/WISP1 increases cell proliferative, the CRISPR approach used may be an alternative explanation rather than the loss of gene function. Methods To test whether CCN4/WISP1 also influences the proliferative phenotype of melanoma cells, we used mouse melanoma models and knocked out Ccn4 using a homology-directed repair CRISPR/Cas9 system to generate pools of Ccn4 -knockout cells. The resulting edited cell pools were compared to parental cell lines using an ensemble of in vitro and in vivo assays. Results In vitro assays using knockout pools supported previous findings that CCN4/WISP1 promoted an epithelial–mesenchymal-like transition in melanoma cells and stimulated invasion and metastasis. While Ccn4 knockout also enhanced cell growth in optimal 2D culture conditions, the knockout suppressed certain cell survival signaling pathways and rendered cells less resistant to stress conditions. Tumor cell growth assays at sub-optimal conditions in vitro , quantitative analysis of tumor growth assays in vivo , and transcriptomics analysis of human melanoma cell lines were also used to quantify changes in phenotype and generalize the findings. Conclusions In addition to stimulating invasion and metastasis of melanoma cells, the results suggested that CCN4/WISP1 repressed cell growth and simultaneously enhanced cell survival.