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ABSTRACT: Recently, the small molecule 968 was found to block the Rho GTPase-dependent growth of cancer cells in cell culture and mouse xenografts, and when the target of 968 was found to be the mitochondrial enzyme glutaminase (GLS1), it revealed a surprising link between Rho GTPases and mitochondrial glutamine metabolism. Signal transduction via the Rho GTPases, together with NF-κB, appears to elevate mitochondrial glutaminase activity in cancer cells, thereby helping cancer cells satisfy their altered metabolic demands. Here, we review what is known about the mechanism of glutaminase activation in cancer cells, compare the properties of two distinct glutaminase inhibitors, and discuss recent findings that shed new light on how glutamine metabolism might affect cancer progression.
Trends in Molecular Medicine 12/2012; · 10.35 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The establishment of a polarized cellular morphology is essential for a variety of processes including neural tube morphogenesis and the development of the brain. Cdc42 is a Ras-related GTPase that plays an essential role in controlling cell polarity through the regulation of the actin and microtubule cytoskeleton architecture. Previous studies have shown that Cdc42 plays an indispensable role in telencephalon development in earlier embryo developmental stage (before E12.5). However, the functions of Cdc42 in other parts of brain in later embryo developmental stage or in adult brain remain unclear. Thus, in order to address the role of Cdc42 in the whole brain in later embryo developmental stage or in adulthood, we used Cre/loxP technology to generate two lines of tissue-specific Cdc42-knock-out mice. Inactivation of Cdc42 was achieved in neuroepithelial cells by crossing Cdc42/flox mice with Nestin-Cre mice and resulted in hydrocephalus, causing death to occur within the postnatal stage. Histological analyses of the brains from these mice showed that ependymal cell differentiation was disrupted, resulting in aqueductal stenosis. Deletion of Cdc42 in the cerebral cortex also induced obvious defects in interkinetic nuclear migration and hypoplasia. To further explore the role of Cdc42 in adult mice brain, we examined the effects of knocking-out Cdc42 in radial glial cells by crossing Cdc42/flox mice with human glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-Cre mice. Inactivation of Cdc42 in radial glial cells resulted in hydrocephalus and ependymal cell denudation. Taken together, these results highlight the importance of Cdc42 for ependymal cell differentiation and maintaining, and suggest that these functions likely contribute to the essential roles played by Cdc42 in the development of the brain.
Protein & Cell 11/2012;
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ABSTRACT: A novel form of cell-to-cell communication involving the formation and shedding of large vesicular structures, called microvesicles (MVs), from the surfaces of highly aggressive forms of human cancer cells has been attracting increasing amounts of attention. This is in large part due to the fact that MVs contain a variety of cargo that is not typically thought to be released from cells including cell-surface receptor tyrosine kinases, cytosolic and nuclear signaling proteins and RNA transcripts. MVs, by sharing their contents with other cells, can greatly impact cancer progression by increasing primary tumor growth, ( 1) (-) ( 3) as well as by promoting the development of the pre-metastatic niche. ( 4) We have recently shown that the small GTPase RhoA is critical for MV biogenesis in human cancer cells. Moreover, we have now obtained evidence that implicates the highly related small GTPases, Rac and Cdc42, in regulating the loading of specific cargo into MVs, as well as in the shedding of MVs from cancer cells. Thus, linking the Rho family of small GTPases to MV biogenesis has begun to shed some light on a new and unexpected way that these signaling proteins contribute to human cancer progression.
Small GTPases 10/2012; 3(4).
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ABSTRACT: Cat-1/Git-1 is a multifunctional protein that acts as a GTPase-activating protein (GAP) for Arf GTPases, as well as serves as a scaffold for a number of different signaling proteins. Cat-1 is best known for its role in regulating cell shape and promoting cell migration. However, whether Cat-1 might also contribute to cellular transformation is currently unknown. Here we show that ∼95% of cervical tumor samples examined overexpress Cat-1, suggesting that the up-regulation of Cat-1 expression is a frequent occurrence in this type of cancer. We demonstrate further that knocking down Cat-1 from NIH3T3 fibroblasts expressing an activated form of Cdc42 (Cdc42 F28L), or from the human cervical carcinoma (HeLa) cell line, inhibits the ability of these cells to form colonies in soft agar, an in vitro measure of tumorgenicity. The requirement for Cat-1 when assaying the anchorage-independent growth of transformed fibroblasts and HeLa cells is dependent on its ability to bind paxillin, while being negatively impacted by its Arf-GAP activity. Moreover, the co-expression of Cat-1 and an activated form of Arf6 in fibroblasts was sufficient to induce their transformation. These findings highlight novel roles for Cat-1 and its interactions with the Arf GTPases and paxillin in oncogenic transformation.
Journal of Biological Chemistry 07/2012; 287(37):31462-70. · 4.77 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Sirtuins are pivotal regulators in various cellular processes, including transcription, DNA repair, genome stability, and energy metabolism. Their functions have been generally attributed to NAD-dependent deacetylase activity. However, human SIRT5 (sirtuin 5), which has been reported to exhibit little deacetylase activity, was recently identified as an NAD-dependent demalonylase and desuccinylase. Biochemical studies suggested that the mechanism of SIRT5-catalyzed demalonylation and desuccinylation is similar to that of deacetylation catalyzed by other sirtuins. Previously, we solved the crystal structure of a SIRT5-succinyl-lysine peptide-NAD complex. Here, we present two more structures: a binary complex of SIRT5 with an H3K9 succinyl peptide and a binary complex of SIRT5 with a bicyclic intermediate obtained by incubating SIRT5-H3K9 thiosuccinyl peptide co-crystals with NAD. To our knowledge, this represents the first bicyclic intermediate for a sirtuin-catalyzed deacylation reaction that has been captured in a crystal structure, thus providing unique insights into the reaction mechanism. The structural information should benefit the design of specific inhibitors for SIRT5 and help in exploring the therapeutic potential of targeting sirtuins for treating human diseases.
Journal of Biological Chemistry 07/2012; 287(34):28307-14. · 4.77 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Ran (Ras-related nuclear) protein, a member of the Ras superfamily of GTPases, is best known for its roles in nucleocytoplasmic transport, mitotic spindle fiber assembly, and nuclear envelope formation. Recently, we have shown that the overexpression of Ran in fibroblasts induces cellular transformation and tumor formation in mice (Ly, T. K., Wang, J., Pereira, R., Rojas, K. S., Peng, X., Feng, Q., Cerione, R. A., and Wilson, K. F. (2010) J. Biol. Chem. 285, 5815-5826). Here, we describe a novel activated Ran mutant, Ran(K152A), which is capable of an increased rate of GDP-GTP exchange and an accelerated GTP binding/GTP hydrolytic cycle compared with wild-type Ran. We show that its expression in NIH-3T3 fibroblasts induces anchorage-independent growth and stimulates cell invasion, as well as activates signaling pathways that lead to extracellular regulated kinase (ERK) activity. Furthermore, Ran(K152A) expression in the human mammary SKBR3 adenocarcinoma cell line gives rise to an enhanced transformed phenotype and causes a robust stimulation of both ERK and the N-terminal c-Jun kinase (JNK). Microarray analysis reveals that the expression of the gene encoding SMOC-2 (secreted modular calcium-binding protein-2), which has been shown to synergize with different growth factors, is increased by at least 50-fold in cells stably expressing Ran(K152A) compared with cells expressing control vector. Knocking down SMOC-2 expression greatly reduces the ability of Ran(K152A) to stimulate anchorage-independent growth in NIH-3T3 cells and in SKBR3 cells and also inhibits cell invasion in fibroblasts. Collectively, our findings highlight a novel connection between the hyper-activation of the small GTPase Ran and the matricellular protein SMOC-2 that has important consequences for oncogenic transformation.
Journal of Biological Chemistry 06/2012; 287(30):24955-66. · 4.77 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: One hallmark of cancer cells is their adaptation to rely upon an altered metabolic scheme that includes changes in the glycolytic pathway, known as the Warburg effect, and elevated glutamine metabolism. Glutaminase, a mitochondrial enzyme, plays a key role in the metabolism of glutamine in cancer cells, and its inhibition could significantly impact malignant transformation. The small molecule 968, a dibenzophenanthridine, was recently shown to inhibit recombinantly expressed glutaminase C, to block the proliferation and anchorage-independent colony formation of human cancer cells in culture, and to inhibit tumor formation in mouse xenograft models. Here, we examine the structure-activity relationship that leads to 968-based inhibition of glutaminase and cancer cell proliferation, focusing upon a "hot-spot" ring previously identified as critical to 968 activity. We find that the hot-spot ring must be substituted with a large, nonplanar functionality (e.g., a t-butyl group) to bestow activity to the series, leading us to a model whereby the molecule binds glutaminase at a previously undescribed allosteric site. We conduct docking studies to locate potential 968-binding sites and proceed to test a specific set of docking solutions via site-directed mutagenesis. We verify the results from our initial assay of 968 and its analogues by cellular studies using MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.
Molecular Cancer Therapeutics 04/2012; 11(6):1269-78. · 5.23 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The activation of Gα subunits of heterotrimeric G proteins by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is a critical event underlying a variety of biological responses. Understanding how G proteins are activated will require structural and biochemical analyses of GPCRs complexed to their G protein partners, together with structure-function studies of Gα mutants that shed light on the different steps in the activation pathway. Previously, we reported that the substitution of a glycine for a proline at position 56 within the linker region connecting the helical and GTP-binding domains of a Gα chimera, designated αT*, yields a more readily exchangeable state for guanine nucleotides. Here we show that GDP-GTP exchange on αT*(G56P), in the presence of the light-activated GPCR, rhodopsin (R*), is less sensitive to the β1γ1 subunit complex than to wild-type αT*. We determined the X-ray crystal structure for the αT*(G56P) mutant and found that the G56P substitution leads to concerted changes that are transmitted to the conformationally sensitive switch regions, the α4-β6 loop, and the β6 strand. The α4-β6 loop has been proposed to be a GPCR contact site that signals to the TCAT motif and weakens the binding of the guanine ring of GDP, whereas the switch regions are the contact sites for the β1γ1 complex. Collectively, these biochemical and structural data lead us to suggest that αT*(G56P) may be adopting a conformation that is normally induced within Gα subunits by the combined actions of a GPCR and a Gβγ subunit complex during the G protein activation event.
Biochemistry 03/2012; 51(15):3232-40. · 3.42 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Rho GTPases regulate a diverse range of processes that are dependent on their proper cellular localization. The membrane localization of these GTPases is due in large part to their carboxyl-terminal geranylgeranyl moiety. In addition, most of the Rho family members contain a cluster of positively charged residues (i.e. a "polybasic domain"), directly preceding their geranylgeranyl moiety, and it has been suggested that this domain serves to fine-tune their localization among different cellular membrane sites. Here, we have taken a closer look at the role of the polybasic domain of Cdc42 in its ability to bind to membranes and induce the transformation of fibroblasts. A FRET assay for the binding of Cdc42 to liposomes of defined composition showed that Cdc42 associates more strongly with liposomes containing phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP(2)) when compared either with uncharged control membranes or with liposomes containing a charge-equivalent amount of phosphatidylserine. The carboxyl-terminal di-arginine motif (Arg-186 and Arg-187) was shown to play an essential role in the binding of Cdc42 to PIP(2)-containing membranes. We further showed that substitutions for the di-arginine motif, when introduced within a constitutively active ("fast cycling") Cdc42(F28L) background, had little effect on the ability of the activated Cdc42 mutant to induce microspikes/filopodia in NIH 3T3 cells, whereas they eliminated its ability to transform fibroblasts. Taken together, these findings suggest that the di-arginine motif within the carboxyl terminus of Cdc42 is necessary for this GTPase to bind at membrane sites containing PIP(2), where it can initiate signaling activities that are essential for the oncogenic transformation of cells.
Journal of Biological Chemistry 01/2012; 287(8):5764-74. · 4.77 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Tight regulation of Rho GTPase-signaling functions requires the proper localization of proteins to the membrane and cytosolic compartments, which can themselves undergo reconfiguration in response to signaling events. The importance of lipid-mediated membrane signal transduction continues to emerge as a critical event in many Rho GTPase-signaling pathways. Here we describe methods for the reconstitution of lipid-modified Rho GTPases with defined lipid vesicles and how this system can be used as a real-time assay for monitoring protein-membrane interactions.
Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) 01/2012; 827:107-19.
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Jintang Du,
Yeyun Zhou,
Xiaoyang Su,
Jiu Jiu Yu,
Saba Khan,
Hong Jiang,
Jungwoo Kim,
Jimin Woo,
Jun Huyn Kim,
Brian Hyun Choi,
Bin He,
Wei Chen,
Sheng Zhang, Richard A Cerione,
Johan Auwerx,
Quan Hao,
Hening Lin
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ABSTRACT: Silent information regulator 2 (Sir2) proteins (sirtuins) are nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent deacetylases that regulate important biological processes. Mammals have seven sirtuins, Sirt1 to Sirt7. Four of them (Sirt4 to Sirt7) have no detectable or very weak deacetylase activity. We found that Sirt5 is an efficient protein lysine desuccinylase and demalonylase in vitro. The preference for succinyl and malonyl groups was explained by the presence of an arginine residue (Arg(105)) and tyrosine residue (Tyr(102)) in the acyl pocket of Sirt5. Several mammalian proteins were identified with mass spectrometry to have succinyl or malonyl lysine modifications. Deletion of Sirt5 in mice appeared to increase the level of succinylation on carbamoyl phosphate synthase 1, which is a known target of Sirt5. Thus, protein lysine succinylation may represent a posttranslational modification that can be reversed by Sirt5 in vivo.
Science 11/2011; 334(6057):806-9. · 31.20 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Cell migration is essential for several important biological outcomes and is involved in various developmental disorders and disease states including cancer cell invasiveness and metastasis. A fundamental step in cell migration is the development of a leading edge. By using HeLa carcinoma cells as an initial model system, we uncovered a surprising role for the heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) and its ability to bind the protein cross-linking enzyme, tissue transglutaminase (tTG), in cancer cell migration. Treatment of HeLa cells with EGF results in the activation of a plasma membrane-associated pool of tTG and its redistribution to the leading edges of these cells, which are essential events for EGF-stimulated HeLa cell migration. However, we then found that the ability of tTG to be localized to the leading edge is dependent on Hsp70. Similarly, the localization of tTG to the leading edges of MDAMB231 breast carcinoma cells, where it also plays an essential role in their migration, has a strict requirement for Hsp70. Treatment of these different cell lines with inhibitors against the ATP hydrolytic activity of Hsp70 prevented tTG from localizing to their leading edges and thereby blocked EGF-stimulated HeLa cell migration, as well as the constitutive migration normally exhibited by MDAMB231 cells. These findings highlight a new and unconventional role for the chaperonin activity of Hsp70 in the localization of a key regulatory protein (tTG) at the leading edges of cancer cells and the important consequences that this holds for their ability to migrate.
Journal of Biological Chemistry 09/2011; 286(43):37094-107. · 4.77 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Residues comprising the guanine nucleotide-binding sites of the α subunits of heterotrimeric (large) G-proteins (Gα subunits), as well as the Ras-related (small) G-proteins, are highly conserved. This is especially the case for the phosphate-binding loop (P-loop) where both Gα subunits and Ras-related G-proteins have a conserved serine or threonine residue. Substitutions for this residue in Ras and related (small) G-proteins yield nucleotide-depleted, dominant-negative mutants. Here we have examined the consequences of changing the conserved serine residue in the P-loop to asparagine, within a chimeric Gα subunit (designated αT*) that is mainly comprised of the α subunit of the retinal G-protein transducin and a limited region from the α subunit of Gi1. The αT*(S43N) mutant exhibits a significantly higher rate of intrinsic GDP-GTP exchange compared with wild-type αT*, with light-activated rhodopsin (R*) causing only a moderate increase in the kinetics of nucleotide exchange on αT*(S43N). The αT*(S43N) mutant, when bound to either GDP or GTP, was able to significantly slow the rate of R*-catalyzed GDP-GTP exchange on wild-type αT*. Thus, GTP-bound αT*(S43N), as well as the GDP-bound mutant, is capable of forming a stable complex with R*. αT*(S43N) activated the cGMP phosphodiesterase (PDE) with a dose-response similar to wild-type αT*. Activation of the PDE by αT*(S43N) was unaffected if either R* or β1γ1 alone was present, whereas it was inhibited when R* and the β1γ1 subunit were added together. Overall, our studies suggest that the S43N substitution on αT* stabilizes an intermediate on the G-protein activation pathway consisting of an activated G-protein-coupled receptor, a GTP-bound Gα subunit, and the β1γ1 complex.
Journal of Biological Chemistry 02/2011; 286(14):12702-11. · 4.77 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Tumor progression involves the ability of cancer cells to communicate with each other and with neighboring normal cells in their microenvironment. Microvesicles (MV) derived from human cancer cells have received a good deal of attention because of their ability to participate in the horizontal transfer of signaling proteins between cancer cells and to contribute to their invasive activity. Here we show that MV may play another important role in oncogenesis. In particular, we demonstrate that MV shed by two different human cancer cells, MDAMB231 breast carcinoma cells and U87 glioma cells, are capable of conferring onto normal fibroblasts and epithelial cells the transformed characteristics of cancer cells (e.g., anchorage-independent growth and enhanced survival capability) and that this effect requires the transfer of the protein cross-linking enzyme tissue transglutaminase (tTG). We further demonstrate that tTG is not sufficient to transform fibroblasts but rather that it must collaborate with another protein to mediate the transforming actions of the cancer cell-derived MV. Proteomic analyses of the MV derived from MDAMB231 and U87 cells indicated that both these vesicle preparations contained the tTG-binding partner and cross-inking substrate fibronectin (FN). Moreover, we found that tTG cross-links FN in MV from cancer cells and that the ensuing MV-mediated transfers of cross-linked FN and tTG to recipient fibroblasts function cooperatively to activate mitogenic signaling activities and to induce their transformation. These findings highlight a role for MV in the induction of cellular transformation and identify tTG and FN as essential participants in this process.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 02/2011; 108(12):4852-7. · 9.68 Impact Factor
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Advances in enzymology and related areas of molecular biology 01/2011; 78:247-93.
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ABSTRACT: Cancer cells re-program their metabolic machinery in order to satisfy their bioenergetic and biosynthetic requirements. A critical aspect of the re-programming of cancer cell metabolism involves changes in the glycolytic pathway (referred to as the "Warburg effect"). As an outcome of these changes, much of the pyruvate generated via the glycolytic pathway is converted to lactic acid, rather than being used to produce acetyl-CoA and ultimately, the citrate which enters the citric acid cycle. In order to compensate for these changes and to help maintain a functioning citric acid cycle, cancer cells often rely on elevated glutamine metabolism. Recently, we have found that this is achieved through a marked elevation of glutaminase activity in cancer cells. Here we further consider these findings and the possible mechanisms by which this important metabolic activity is regulated.
Oncotarget 12/2010; 1(8):734-40. · 4.78 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) activate Rho GTPases by catalyzing the exchange of bound GDP for GTP, thereby resulting in downstream effector recognition. Two metazoan families of GEFs have been described: Dbl-GEF family members that share conserved Dbl homology (DH) and Pleckstrin homology (PH) domains and the more recently described Dock180 family members that share little sequence homology with the Dbl family and are characterized by conserved Dock homology regions 1 and 2 (DHR-1 and -2, respectively). While extensive characterization of the Dbl family has been performed, less is known about how Dock180 family members act as GEFs, with only a single X-ray structure having recently been reported for the Dock9-Cdc42 complex. To learn more about the mechanisms used by the founding member of the family, Dock180, to act as a Rac-specific GEF, we set out to identify and characterize its limit functional GEF domain. A C-terminal portion of the DHR-2 domain, composed of approximately 300 residues (designated as Dock180(DHR-2c)), is shown to be necessary and sufficient for robust Rac-specific GEF activity both in vitro and in vivo. We further show that Dock180(DHR-2c) binds to Rac in a manner distinct from that of Rac-GEFs of the Dbl family. Specifically, Ala(27) and Trp(56) of Rac appear to provide a bipartite binding site for the specific recognition of Dock180(DHR-2c), whereas for Dbl family Rac-GEFs, Trp(56) of Rac is the sole primary determinant of GEF specificity. On the basis of our findings, we are able to define the core of Dock180 responsible for its Rac-GEF activity as well as highlight key recognition sites that distinguish different Dock180 family members and determine their corresponding GTPase specificities.
Biochemistry 10/2010; 50(6):1070-80. · 3.42 Impact Factor
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Jian-Bin Wang,
Jon W Erickson,
Reina Fuji,
Sekar Ramachandran,
Ping Gao,
Ramani Dinavahi,
Kristin F Wilson,
Andre L B Ambrosio,
Sandra M G Dias,
Chi V Dang, Richard A Cerione
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ABSTRACT: Rho GTPases impact a number of activities important for oncogenesis. We describe a small molecule inhibitor that blocks oncogenic transformation induced by various Rho GTPases in fibroblasts, and the growth of human breast cancer and B lymphoma cells, without affecting normal cells. We identify the target of this inhibitor to be the metabolic enzyme glutaminase, which catalyzes the hydrolysis of glutamine to glutamate. We show that transformed fibroblasts and breast cancer cells exhibit elevated glutaminase activity that is dependent on Rho GTPases and NF-κB activity, and is blocked by the small molecule inhibitor. These findings highlight a previously unappreciated connection between Rho GTPase activation and cellular metabolism and demonstrate that targeting glutaminase activity can inhibit oncogenic transformation.
Cancer cell 09/2010; 18(3):207-19. · 25.29 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Previously we showed that Cool-1 (Cloned out of library-1)/beta-Pix (Pak-interactive exchange factor) is phosphorylated at a specific tyrosine residue (Tyr-442) in a Src-dependent manner and serves as a dual function guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF)/signaling-effector for Cdc42 that is essential for transformation by Src. Here, we show that knocking-down Cool-1 or overexpressing a Cool-1 mutant that contains substitutions within its Dbl homology domain and is defective for GEF activity, inhibits Src-promoted cell migration. Similarly, the expression of a Cool-1 mutant containing a tyrosine to phenylalanine substitution at position 442, making it incapable of being phosphorylated in response to serum, epidermal growth factor (EGF), or Src, also causes a significant inhibition of the migration and invasive activity of cells expressing oncogenic Src. We further demonstrate that the phosphorylation of Cool-1 at Tyr-442 weakens its ability to bind to one of its primary interaction-partners, Cat-1 (Cool-associated tyrosine phosphosubstrate-1)/Git-1 (G protein-coupled receptor kinase-interactor-1), thus making Cat more accessible for binding to paxillin. This enables cells to alternate between states where they contain large numbers of focal complexes (i.e. conditions favoring Cool-1-Cat interactions) versus reduced numbers of focal complexes (conditions favoring Cat-paxillin interactions). Overall, these findings show that the phosphorylation-dephosphorylation cycle of Cool-1 at Tyr-442 can serve as a key regulatory signal for focal complex assembly-disassembly, and consequently, for the migration and invasive activity of Src-transformed cells.
Journal of Biological Chemistry 04/2010; 285(24):18806-16. · 4.77 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: EGF receptor (EGFR) signaling in human cancers elicits changes in protein-expression patterns that are crucial for potentiating tumor growth. Identifying those proteins with expression regulated by the EGFR and determining how they contribute to malignancy is fundamental for the development of more effective strategies to treat cancer. Here, we show that tissue transglutaminase (tTG) is one such protein. EGF up-regulates tTG expression in human breast-cancer cells, and knock-downs of tTG or the treatment of breast cancer cells with a tTG inhibitor blocks their EGF-stimulated anchorage-independent growth. We further show that the combined actions of Ras and Cdc42, leading to the activation of PI 3-kinase and NFkappaB, provide a mechanism by which EGF can up-regulate tTG in breast-cancer cells. Moreover, overexpression of wild-type tTG, but not its transamidation-defective counterpart, fully mimics the growth advantages afforded by EGF to these cancer cells. Surprisingly, the tTG-promoted growth of breast-cancer cells is dependent on its ability to activate the Src tyrosine kinase as an outcome of a complex formed between tTG and the breast-cancer marker and intermediate filament protein keratin-19. These findings identify tTG as a key participant in an EGFR/Src-signaling pathway in breast-cancer cells and a potential target for inhibiting EGFR-promoted tumor progression.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 01/2010; 107(4):1408-13. · 9.68 Impact Factor