title: Stromal cell-derived factor-1alpha (SDF-1alpha/CXCL12) stimulates ovarian cancer cell growth through the EGF receptor transactivation.
abstract: Ovarian cancer (OC) is the leading cause of death in gynecologic diseases in which there is evidence for a complex chemokine network. Chemokines are a family of proteins that play an important role in tumor progression influencing cell proliferation, angiogenic/angiostatic processes, cell migration and metastasis, and, finally, regulating the immune cells recruitment into the tumor mass. We previously demonstrated that astrocytes and glioblastoma cells express both the chemokine receptor CXCR4 and its ligand stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1), and that SDF-1alpha treatment induced cell proliferation, supporting the hypothesis that chemokines may play an important role in tumor cells' growth in vitro. In the present study, we report that CXCR4 and SDF-1 are expressed in OC cell lines. We demonstrate that SDF-1alpha induces a dose-dependent proliferation in OC cells, by the specific interaction with CXCR4 and a biphasic activation of ERK1/2 and Akt kinases. Our results further indicate that CXCR4 activation induces EGF receptor (EGFR) phosphorylation that in turn was linked to the downstream intracellular kinases activation, ERK1/2 and Akt. In addition, we provide evidence for cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase (c-Src) involvement in the SDF-1/CXCR4-EGFR transactivation. These results suggest a possible important "cross-talk" between SDF-1/CXCR4 and EGFR intracellular pathways that may link signals of cell proliferation in ovarian cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Biology and Genetics, Section of Pharmacology, University of Genoa, Largo Rosanna Benzi, 10 -16132- Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Carola
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Porcile
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bajetto
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barbieri
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barbero
authors.forename: Rudy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bonavia
authors.forename: Marianna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Biglieri
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pirani
authors.forename: Tullio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Florio
authors.forename: Gennaro
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schettini
mesh_terms: D002277:Carcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D054377:Chemokine CXCL12; D019743:Chemokines, CXC / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D016391:Genes, src / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D020239:Receptor Cross-Talk / Q000502:physiology; D019718:Receptors, CXCR4 / Q000378:metabolism*; D015533:Transcriptional Activation
chemical_list: C515255:CXCL12 protein, human; D054377:Chemokine CXCL12; D019743:Chemokines, CXC; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019718:Receptors, CXCR4; D066246:ErbB Receptors; C494918:AKT1 protein, human; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3