Vitamin D and Wnt3A have additive and partially overlapping modulatory effects on gene expression and phenotype in human colon fibroblasts

The Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway is essential for intestinal epithelium homeostasis, but its aberrant activation is a hallmark of colorectal cancer (CRC). Several studies indicate that the bioactive vitamin D metabolite 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 (1,25(OH) 2 D 3 ) inhibits proliferation and promotes epithelial differentiation of colon carcinoma cells in part through antagonism of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. It is now accepted that stromal fibroblasts are crucial in healthy and pathologic intestine: pericryptal myofibroblasts are constituents of the stem cell niche and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) contribute to CRC progression. However, studies on the combined action of 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 and Wnt factors in colon fibroblasts are lacking. Here we show by global transcriptomic studies that 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 and Wnt3A have profound, additive, partially overlapping effects on the gene expression profile of CCD-18Co human colon myofibroblasts. Moreover, 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 and Wnt3A inhibit CCD-18Co cell proliferation and migration, while 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 reduces, but Wnt3A increases, their capacity to contract collagen gels (a marker of fibroblast activation). These data were largely confirmed in patient-derived primary colon normal fibroblasts and CAFs, and in fibroblasts from other origins. Our results indicate that 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 and Wnt3A are strong regulators of colon fibroblast biology and contribute to a better knowledge of intestinal homeostasis and stromal fibroblast action in CRC.