LRP6 regulates Rab7‐mediated autophagy through the Wnt/β‐catenin pathway to modulate trophoblast cell migration and invasion

Pre‐eclampsia is a common complication during pregnancy; however, the underlying mechanisms of the crosstalk between low‐density lipoprotein receptor‐related protein 6 (LRP6) and autophagy in trophoblast cells are still not fully explored. Messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein levels of LRP6, beclin 1, Unc‐51‐like autophagy activating kinase 1 (ULK1), p62, vimentin, matrix metallopeptidase‐9 (MMP‐9), β‐catenin, c‐Myc, and Rab7, as well as the ratio of LC3‐II/LC3‐I, were analysed by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction or Western blot analysis, respectively. An MTT assay was used to measure cell growth, and transwell and wound healing assays were carried out to evaluate the invasion and migration abilities of the trophoblasts used. An immunofluorescence assay was used to measure LC3. The mRFP‐GFP‐LC3 tandem fluorescence assay was applied to detect autophagic flow. LRP6 overexpression was achieved by constructing pcDNA3.1‐LRP6 vectors. LRP6 was expressed at low levels in HTR‐8/SVneo cells under hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) conditions. H/R inhibited the activation of autophagy. LRP6 overexpression promoted cell proliferation and activated autophagy, which led to the upregulation of beclin 1 and ULK1, as well as the ratio of LC3‐II/LC3‐I and the downregulation of p62. Furthermore, LRP6 overexpression elevated the migration and invasion abilities of the indicated cells and increased vimentin and MMP‐9 expression levels. Furthermore, LRP6 upregulated Rab7 and activated autophagy through the Wnt/β‐catenin pathway. The late autophagy inhibitor bafilomycin A1 (Baf‐A1) and the Wnt/β‐catenin pathway inhibitor PKF115‐584 reversed the effects of LRP6 on trophoblast autophagy, migration and invasion. LRP6 promotes Rab7‐mediated autophagy by activating the Wnt/β‐catenin pathway, which leads to increasing migration and invasion of trophoblast cells. Our study paves a new avenue for clinical treatment, and LRP6 may serve as an essential target in pre‐eclampsia. low‐density lipoprotein receptor‐related protein 6 (LRP6) was lowly expressed in trophoblast cells under hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) treatment. LRP6 overexpression enhanced the autophagy flux to strengthen the functions of trophoblast cells. LRP6 overexpression induced autophagy to promote proliferation, migration and invasion of trophoblast cells.