Atonal homolog 1 expression in lung cancer correlates with inhibitors of the Wnt pathway as well as the differentiation and primary tumor stage

Atonal homolog 1 (Atoh1) is crucial to the differentiation of many cell types and participates in tumorigenesis and progression. This study investigated the role of Atoh1 in lung cancer development and its correlation with key members of the Wnt pathway. We used immunohistochemistry to examine the expressions of Atoh1, beta-catenin, Axin, chibby, and Disabled-2 (Dab2) in 118 samples of lung cancer. We also detected the cytoplasmic and nuclear expression of Atoh1 in lung cancer tissues using western blot. Atoh1 nuclear expression was negatively correlated with differentiation level (p=0.004) and primary tumor stage (p=0.044) of lung cancer. Nuclear Atoh1 expression was positively correlated with nuclear expression of chibby (p<0.001) and Dab2 (p<0.001). Cytoplasmic Atoh1 expression was positively correlated with the cytoplasmic expression of Axin (p=0.028), chibby (p<0.001), and Dab2 (p<0.001). We conclude that the nuclear expression of Atoh1 was inversely correlated with the differentiation and primary tumor stage of lung cancers. The expression and localization of Atoh1 correlated with Axin, chibby, or Dab2. Atoh1 may be a potential therapeutic target for the inhibition of growth and progression of lung cancers.