The rho-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factor Dbs regulates breast cancer cell migration.
Dbs is a Rho-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factor (RhoGEF) that regulates neurotrophin-3-induced cell migration in Schwann cells. Here we report that Dbs regulates cell motility in tumor-derived, human breast epithelial cells through activation of Cdc42 and Rac1. Cdc42 and Rac1 are activated in T47D cells that stably express onco- or proto-Dbs, and activation is dependent upon growth of the cells on collagen I. Transient suppression of expression of Cdc42 or Rac1 by small interfering RNAs attenuates Dbs-enhanced motility. Both onco- and proto-Dbs-enhanced motility correlates with an increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase on Tyr-397 and p130(Cas) on Tyr-410 and an increase in the abundance of the Crk.p130(Cas) complex. Suppression of expression of Cdc42 or its effector, Ack1, reduces tyrosine phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase and p130(Cas) and disrupts the Crk.p130(Cas) complex. We further determined that suppression of expression of Cdc42, Ack1, p130(Cas), or Crk reduces Rac1 activation and cell motility in Dbs-expressing cells to a level comparable with that in vector cells. Therefore, a cascade of activation of Cdc42 and Rac1 by Dbs through the Cdc42 effector Ack1 and the Crk.p130(Cas) complex is established. Suppression of the expression of endogenous Dbs reduces cell motility in both T47D cells and MDA-MB-231 cells, which correlates with the down-regulation of Cdc42 activity. This suggests that Dbs activates Cdc42 in these two human breast cancer cell lines and that the normal function of Dbs may be required to support cell movement.
Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics and the New Jersey Medical School-University Hospital Cancer Center, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey 07101-1709, USA.
Zhuoming
Z
Liu
Homer C
HC
Adams
Ian P
IP
Whitehead
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002465:Cell Movement; D050719:Crk-Associated Substrate Protein / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D020662:Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics; D064067:Rho Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors; D012583:Schwann Cells / Q000502:physiology; D013489:Suppression, Genetic; D020764:cdc42 GTP-Binding Protein / Q000235:genetics
D050719:Crk-Associated Substrate Protein; D020662:Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors; C577400:MCF2L protein, human; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D064067:Rho Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; C403262:TNK2 protein, human; D020764:cdc42 GTP-Binding Protein