Knockdown of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase suppresses proliferation, migration and chemoresistance of Merkel cell carcinoma cells in vitro

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive skin cancer, with a propensity for early metastasis. Therefore, early diagnosis and the identification of novel targets become fundamental. The enzyme nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) catalyzes the reaction of N-methylation of nicotinamide and other analogous compounds. Although NNMT overexpression was reported in many malignancies, the significance of its dysregulation in cancer cell phenotype was partly clarified. Several works demonstrated that NNMT promotes cancer cell proliferation, migration, and chemoresistance. In this study, we investigated the possible involvement of this enzyme in MCC. Preliminary immunohistochemical analyses were performed to evaluate NNMT expression in MCC tissue specimens. To explore the enzyme function in tumor cell metabolism, MCC cell lines have been transfected with plasmids encoding for short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) targeting NNMT mRNA. Preliminary immunohistochemical analyses showed elevated NNMT expression in MCC tissue specimens. The effect of enzyme downregulation on cell proliferation, migration, and chemosensitivity was then evaluated through MTT, trypan blue, and wound healing assays. Data obtained clearly demonstrated that NNMT knockdown is associated with a decrease of cell proliferation, viability, and migration, as well as with enhanced sensitivity to treatment with chemotherapeutic drugs. Taken together, these results suggest that NNMT could represent an interesting MCC biomarker and a promising target for targeted anti-cancer therapy.