title: Focal adhesion kinase N-terminus in breast carcinoma cells induces rounding, detachment and apoptosis.
abstract: Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) has a central role in adhesion-mediated cell signalling. The N-terminus of FAK is thought to function as a docking site for a number of proteins, including the Src-family tyrosine kinases. In the present study, we disrupted FAK signalling by expressing the N-terminal domain of FAK (FAK-NT) in human breast carcinoma cells, BT474 and MCF-7 lines, and non-malignant epithelial cells, MCF-10A line. Expression of FAK-NT led to rounding, detachment and apoptosis in human breast cancer cells. Apoptosis was accompanied by dephosphorylation of FAK Tyr(397), degradation of the endogenous FAK protein and activation of caspase-3. Over-expression of FAK rescued FAK-NT-mediated cellular rounding. Expression of FAK-NT in non-malignant breast epithelial cells did not lead to rounding, loss of FAK phosphorylation or apoptosis. Thus FAK-NT contributes to cellular adhesion and survival pathways in breast cancer cells which are not required for survival in non-malignant breast epithelial cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Beviglia
authors.forename: Vita
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Golubovskaya
authors.forename: LiHui
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: XiHui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Rolf J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Craven
authors.forename: William G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Cance
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology*; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D048429:Cell Size; D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D005260:Female; D051417:Focal Adhesion Kinase 1; D051416:Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D006801:Humans; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000378:metabolism; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014162:Transfection; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D051417:Focal Adhesion Kinase 1; D051416:Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; C496050:PTK2 protein, human; C505407:CASP3 protein, human; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases