[Ablation of p120-Catenin Altering the Activity of Small GTPase in Human Lung Cancer Cells.].
BACKGROUND
p120-catenin (p120(ctn)), a member of the Armadillo gene family, has emerged as an important modulator of small GTPase activities. Therefore, it plays novel roles in tumor malignant phenotype, such as invasion and metastasis, whose mechanism are not well clarified yet. The aim of this study is to explore the roles of p120ctn on the regulation of small GTP family members in lung cancer and the effects to lung cancer invasions and metastasis.


METHODS
After p120(ctn) was knocked down by siRNA, in vivo and in vitro analysis was applied to investigate the role and possible mechanism of p120(ctn) in lung cancer, such as Western Blot, pull-down analysis, and nude mice models.


RESULTS
p120(ctn) depletion inactivated RhoA, with the the activity of Cdc42 and Rac1 increased, the invasiveness of lung cancer cells was promoted both in vitro and in vivo.


CONCLUSIONS
p120(ctn) gene knockdown enhances the metastasis of lung cancer cells, probably by altering expression of small GTPase, such as inactivation of RhoA and activation of Cdc42/Rac1.
Liu
Shuli
S
Department of Pathology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University and Department of Pathology, the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China.
Liu
Yang
Y
Liu
Nan
N
Wang
Enhua
E