Keratin 8/18 regulation of cell stiffness-extracellular matrix interplay through modulation of Rho-mediated actin cytoskeleton dynamics.
Cell mechanical activity generated from the interplay between the extracellular matrix (ECM) and the actin cytoskeleton is essential for the regulation of cell adhesion, spreading and migration during normal and cancer development. Keratins are the intermediate filament (IF) proteins of epithelial cells, expressed as pairs in a lineage/differentiation manner. Hepatic epithelial cell IFs are made solely of keratins 8/18 (K8/K18), hallmarks of all simple epithelia. Notably, our recent work on these epithelial cells has revealed a key regulatory function for K8/K18 IFs in adhesion/migration, through modulation of integrin interactions with ECM, actin adaptors and signaling molecules at focal adhesions. Here, using K8-knockdown rat H4 hepatoma cells and their K8/K18-containing counterparts seeded on fibronectin-coated substrata of different rigidities, we show that the K8/K18 IF-lacking cells lose their ability to spread and exhibit an altered actin fiber organization, upon seeding on a low-rigidity substratum. We also demonstrate a concomitant reduction in local cell stiffness at focal adhesions generated by fibronectin-coated microbeads attached to the dorsal cell surface. In addition, we find that this K8/K18 IF modulation of cell stiffness and actin fiber organization occurs through RhoA-ROCK signaling. Together, the results uncover a K8/K18 IF contribution to the cell stiffness-ECM rigidity interplay through a modulation of Rho-dependent actin organization and dynamics in simple epithelial cells.
Centre de recherche en cancérologie and Centre de Recherche du Centre hospitalier de Québec, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
François
F
Bordeleau
Marie-Eve
ME
Myrand Lapierre
Yunlong
Y
Sheng
Normand
N
Marceau
D000180:Acrylic Resins / Q000378:metabolism; D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism*; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000378:metabolism*; D005353:Fibronectins / Q000378:metabolism; D022001:Focal Adhesions; D007382:Intermediate Filaments / Q000378:metabolism; D053538:Keratin-18 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D053533:Keratin-8 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D008863:Microspheres; D034622:RNA Interference; D051381:Rats; D020742:rhoA GTP-Binding Protein / Q000378:metabolism*
D000180:Acrylic Resins; D000199:Actins; D005353:Fibronectins; D053538:Keratin-18; D053533:Keratin-8; C016680:polyacrylamide gels; D020742:rhoA GTP-Binding Protein