RhoC is essential for TGF-beta1-induced invasive capacity of rat ascites hepatoma cells.
Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) is a multifunctional growth factor that plays a role in cell proliferation, differentiation, extracellular matrix production, apoptosis, and cell motility. We show here that TGF-beta1 increased the invasiveness of MM1 cells, which are a highly invasive clone of rat ascites hepatoma cells. Both mRNA and protein levels of RhoC but not RhoA in TGF-beta1-treated MM1 cells increased. In parallel with this increase in expression, RhoC activity was induced by TGF-beta1 treatment. When RhoC was overexpressed in MM1 cells, the invasive capacity increased. The RhoC-overexpressing cells formed more nodules than did mock cells when injected into rat peritoneum. Furthermore, when RhoC expression was reduced by transfection with shRNA/RhoC, the invasiveness of MM1 cells decreased with concomitant suppression of RhoC expression. Thus, the induced expression of RhoC by TGF-beta1 in MM1 cells plays a critical role in TGF-beta1-induced cell migration.
Mukai
M
M
Department of Biochemistry, Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases, Osaka 537-8511, Japan.
Endo
H
H
Iwasaki
T
T
Tatsuta
M
M
Togawa
A
A
Nakamura
H
H
Inoue
M
M
D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D008114:Liver Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000473:pathology*; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D051381:Rats; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000502:physiology*; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D020741:rho GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D020742:rhoA GTP-Binding Protein / Q000502:physiology
C508960:TGFB1 protein, human; C508962:Tgfb1 protein, rat; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D020741:rho GTP-Binding Proteins; D020742:rhoA GTP-Binding Protein