scholarly journals Modelling GTPase dynamics to understand RhoA-driven cancer cell invasion

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 1695-1700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph H.R. Hetmanski ◽  
Jean-Marc Schwartz ◽  
Patrick T. Caswell
Keyword(s):  
Cell Migration ◽  
Rho Gtpases ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Rhoa Activity ◽  
Rac1 Activity ◽  
Logical Modelling ◽  
Invasive Cell

Metastasis, initially driven by cells migrating and invading through the local environment, leads to most cancer-associated deaths. Cells can use a variety of modes to move in vitro, all of which depend on Rho GTPases at some level. While traditionally it was thought that Rac1 activity drives protrusive lamellipodia at the leading edge of a polarised cell while RhoA drives rear retraction, more recent work in 3D microenvironments has revealed a much more complicated picture of GTPase dynamics. In particular, RhoA activity can dominate the leading edge polymerisation of actin to form filopodial actin-spike protrusions that drive more invasive cell migration. We recently described a potential mechanism to abrogate this pro-invasive localised leading edge Rac1 to RhoA switch via manipulation of a negative feedback loop that was revealed by adopting a logical modelling approach. Both challenging dogma and taking a formal, mathematical approach to understanding signalling involved in motility may be vital to harnessing harmful cell migration and preventing metastasis in future research.

scholarly journals The LIM protein Ajuba influences p130Cas localization and Rac1 activity during cell migration

2005 ◽  
Vol 168 (5) ◽  
pp. 813-824 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen J. Pratt ◽  
Holly Epple ◽  
Michael Ward ◽  
Yunfeng Feng ◽  
Vania M. Braga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Migration ◽  
Rho Gtpases ◽  
Selective Reduction ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Cell Spreading ◽  
Matrix Proteins ◽  
Signaling Proteins ◽  
Lim Protein ◽  
Rac1 Activity ◽  
Lim Proteins

Cell migration requires extension of lamellipodia that are stabilized by formation of adhesive complexes at the leading edge. Both processes are regulated by signaling proteins recruited to nascent adhesive sites that lead to activation of Rho GTPases. The Ajuba/Zyxin family of LIM proteins are components of cellular adhesive complexes. We show that cells from Ajuba null mice are inhibited in their migration, without associated abnormality in adhesion to extracellular matrix proteins, cell spreading, or integrin activation. Lamellipodia production, or function, is defective and there is a selective reduction in the level and tyrosine phosphorylation of FAK, p130Cas, Crk, and Dock180 at nascent focal complexes. In response to migratory cues Rac activation is blunted in Ajuba null cells, as detected biochemically and by FRET analysis. Ajuba associates with the focal adhesion-targeting domain of p130Cas, and rescue experiments suggest that Ajuba acts upstream of p130Cas to localize p130Cas to nascent adhesive sites in migrating cells thereby leading to the activation of Rac.

scholarly journals Smurf1 regulates tumor cell plasticity and motility through degradation of RhoA leading to localized inhibition of contractility

2006 ◽  
Vol 176 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik Sahai ◽  
Raquel Garcia-Medina ◽  
Jacques Pouysségur ◽  
Emmanuel Vial
Keyword(s):  
Cell Migration ◽  
Tumor Cell ◽  
Rho Gtpases ◽  
Rho Kinase ◽  
Cell Movement ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Cell Periphery ◽  
Tumor Cell Migration ◽  
Tumor Cell Motility

Rho GTPases participate in various cellular processes, including normal and tumor cell migration. It has been reported that RhoA is targeted for degradation at the leading edge of migrating cells by the E3 ubiquitin ligase Smurf1, and that this is required for the formation of protrusions. We report that Smurf1-dependent RhoA degradation in tumor cells results in the down-regulation of Rho kinase (ROCK) activity and myosin light chain 2 (MLC2) phosphorylation at the cell periphery. The localized inhibition of contractile forces is necessary for the formation of lamellipodia and for tumor cell motility in 2D tissue culture assays. In 3D invasion assays, and in in vivo tumor cell migration, the inhibition of Smurf1 induces a mesenchymal–amoeboid–like transition that is associated with a more invasive phenotype. Our results suggest that Smurf1 is a pivotal regulator of tumor cell movement through its regulation of RhoA signaling.

scholarly journals α4/α9 Integrins Coordinate Epithelial Cell Migration Through Local Suppression of MAP Kinase Signaling Pathways

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willow Hight-Warburton ◽  
Robert Felix ◽  
Andrew Burton ◽  
Hannah Maple ◽  
Magda S. Chegkazi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Migration ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Focal Adhesions ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Collective Cell Migration ◽  
Keratinocyte Proliferation ◽  
Basal Keratinocytes ◽  
Keratinocyte Cell

Adhesion of basal keratinocytes to the underlying extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a key role in the control of skin homeostasis and response to injury. Integrin receptors indirectly link the ECM to the cell cytoskeleton through large protein complexes called focal adhesions (FA). FA also function as intracellular biochemical signaling platforms to enable cells to respond to changing extracellular cues. The α4β1 and α9β1 integrins are both expressed in basal keratinocytes, share some common ECM ligands, and have been shown to promote wound healing in vitro and in vivo. However, their roles in maintaining epidermal homeostasis and relative contributions to pathological processes in the skin remain unclear. We found that α4β1 and α9β1 occupied distinct regions in monolayers of a basal keratinocyte cell line (NEB-1). During collective cell migration (CCM), α4 and α9 integrins co-localized along the leading edge. Pharmacological inhibition of α4β1 and α9β1 integrins increased keratinocyte proliferation and induced a dramatic change in cytoskeletal remodeling and FA rearrangement, detrimentally affecting CCM. Further analysis revealed that α4β1/α9β1 integrins suppress extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) activity to control migration through the regulation of downstream kinases including Mitogen and Stress Activated Kinase 1 (MSK1). This work demonstrates the roles of α4β1 and α9β1 in regulating migration in response to damage cues.

scholarly journals TNFAIP8 is a novel phosphoinositide-binding inhibitory regulator of Rho GTPases that promotes cancer cell migration

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mei Lin ◽  
Honghong Sun ◽  
Svetlana A. Fayngerts ◽  
Peiwei Huangyang ◽  
Youhai H. Chen
Keyword(s):  
Cell Migration ◽  
Rho Gtpases ◽  
Somatic Mutations ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Cancer Cell Migration ◽  
Directional Migration ◽  
Phosphoinositide Signaling ◽  
Hydrophobic Cavity ◽  
Cavity Structure ◽  
Molecular Bridge

More than half of human tumors exhibit aberrantly dysregulated phosphoinositide signaling, yet how this is controlled remains not fully understood. While somatic mutations of PI3K, PTEN and Ras account for many cases of the hyperactivated lipid signals, other mechanisms for these dysfunctions in cancer are also being discovered. We report here that TNFAIP8 interacts with PtdIns(4,5)P2 and PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 and is likely to be hijacked by cancer cells to facilitate directional migration during malignant transformation. TNFAIP8 maintains the quiescent cellular state by sequestering inactive Rho GTPases in the cytosolic pool, which can be set free upon chemoattractant activation at the leading edge. Consequently, loss of TNFAIP8 results in severe defects of chemotaxis and adhesion. Thus, TNFAIP8, whose expression can be induced by inflammatory cytokines such as TNFα from tumor microenvironment, represents a molecular bridge from inflammation to cancer by linking NF-κB pathway to phosphoinositide signaling. Our study on the conserved hydrophobic cavity structure will also advise in silico drug screening and development of new TNFAIP8-based strategies to combat malignant human diseases.

scholarly journals Mechanochemical coupling and junctional forces during collective cell migration

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Bui ◽  
D. E. Conway ◽  
R. L. Heise ◽  
S.H. Weinberg
Keyword(s):  
Cell Migration ◽  
Rho Gtpases ◽  
Cancer Metastasis ◽  
Rho Gtpase ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Collective Cell Migration ◽  
Gtpase Activity ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Cell Cell

ABSTRACTCell migration, a fundamental physiological process in which cells sense and move through their surrounding physical environment, plays a critical role in development and tissue formation, as well as pathological processes, such as cancer metastasis and wound healing. During cell migration, dynamics are governed by the bidirectional interplay between cell-generated mechanical forces and the activity of Rho GTPases, a family of small GTP-binding proteins that regulate actin cytoskeleton assembly and cellular contractility. These interactions are inherently more complex during the collective migration of mechanically coupled cells, due to the additional regulation of cell-cell junctional forces. In this study, we present a minimal modeling framework to simulate the interactions between mechanochemical signaling in individual cells and interactions with cell-cell junctional forces during collective cell migration. We find that migration of individual cells depends on the feedback between mechanical tension and Rho GTPase activity in a biphasic manner. During collective cell migration, waves of Rho GTPase activity mediate mechanical contraction/extension and thus synchronization throughout the tissue. Further, cell-cell junctional forces exhibit distinct spatial patterns during collective cell migration, with larger forces near the leading edge. Larger junctional force magnitudes are associated with faster collective cell migration and larger tissue size. Simulations of heterogeneous tissue migration exhibit a complex dependence on the properties of both leading and trailing cells. Computational predictions demonstrate that collective cell migration depends on both the emergent dynamics and interactions between cellular-level Rho GTPase activity and contractility, and multicellular-level junctional forces.

scholarly journals Tiam1 interaction with the PAR complex promotes talin-mediated Rac1 activation during polarized cell migration

2012 ◽  
Vol 199 (2) ◽  
pp. 331-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shujie Wang ◽  
Takashi Watanabe ◽  
Kenji Matsuzawa ◽  
Akira Katsumi ◽  
Mai Kakeno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Kinase C ◽  
Cell Migration ◽  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Cell Spreading ◽  
Kinase C ◽  
Rac1 Activity ◽  
Directional Movement ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Migrating Cells

Migrating cells acquire front-rear polarity with a leading edge and a trailing tail for directional movement. The Rac exchange factor Tiam1 participates in polarized cell migration with the PAR complex of PAR3, PAR6, and atypical protein kinase C. However, it remains largely unknown how Tiam1 is regulated and contributes to the establishment of polarity in migrating cells. We show here that Tiam1 interacts directly with talin, which binds and activates integrins to mediate their signaling. Tiam1 accumulated at adhesions in a manner dependent on talin and the PAR complex. The interactions of talin with Tiam1 and the PAR complex were required for adhesion-induced Rac1 activation, cell spreading, and migration toward integrin substrates. Furthermore, Tiam1 acted with talin to regulate adhesion turnover. Thus, we propose that Tiam1, with the PAR complex, binds to integrins through talin and, together with the PAR complex, thereby regulates Rac1 activity and adhesion turnover for polarized migration.

scholarly journals Airway Epithelial Cell Migration Dynamics: MMP-9 Role in Cell–Extracellular Matrix Remodeling

1999 ◽  
Vol 146 (2) ◽  
pp. 517-529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Legrand ◽  
Christine Gilles ◽  
Jean-Marie Zahm ◽  
Myriam Polette ◽  
Anne-Cécile Buisson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Extracellular Matrix ◽  
Cell Migration ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Collagen Iv ◽  
Matrix Remodeling ◽  
Airway Epithelial ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Migration Dynamics

Cell spreading and migration associated with the expression of the 92-kD gelatinase (matrix metalloproteinase 9 or MMP-9) are important mechanisms involved in the repair of the respiratory epithelium. We investigated the location of MMP-9 and its potential role in migrating human bronchial epithelial cells (HBEC). In vivo and in vitro, MMP-9 accumulated in migrating HBEC located at the leading edge of a wound and MMP-9 expression paralleled cell migration speed. MMP-9 accumulated through an actin-dependent pathway in the advancing lamellipodia of migrating cells and was subsequently found active in the extracellular matrix (ECM). Lamellipodia became anchored through primordial contacts established with type IV collagen. MMP-9 became amassed behind collagen IV where there were fewer cell–ECM contacts. Both collagen IV and MMP-9 were involved in cell migration because when cell–collagen IV interaction was blocked, cells spread slightly but did not migrate; and when MMP-9 activation was prevented, cells remained fixed on primordial contacts and did not advance at all. These observations suggest that MMP-9 controls the migration of repairing HBEC by remodeling the provisional ECM implicated in primordial contacts.

scholarly journals In vitro cell migration quantification method for scratch assays

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (151) ◽  
pp. 20180709 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Victoria Ponce Bobadilla ◽  
Jazmine Arévalo ◽  
Eduard Sarró ◽  
Helen M. Byrne ◽  
Philip K. Maini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Cell Migration ◽  
Cell Monolayer ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
New Method ◽  
Scratch Assay ◽  
Standard Methods ◽  
Migration Rates ◽  
Quantification Method

The scratch assay is an in vitro technique used to assess the contribution of molecular and cellular mechanisms to cell migration. The assay can also be used to evaluate therapeutic compounds before clinical use. Current quantification methods of scratch assays deal poorly with irregular cell-free areas and crooked leading edges which are features typically present in the experimental data. We introduce a new migration quantification method, called ‘monolayer edge velocimetry’, that permits analysis of low-quality experimental data and better statistical classification of migration rates than standard quantification methods. The new method relies on quantifying the horizontal component of the cell monolayer velocity across the leading edge. By performing a classification test on in silico data, we show that the method exhibits significantly lower statistical errors than standard methods. When applied to in vitro data, our method outperforms standard methods by detecting differences in the migration rates between different cell groups that the other methods could not detect. Application of this new method will enable quantification of migration rates from in vitro scratch assay data that cannot be analysed using existing methods.

scholarly journals CtBP modulates Snail-mediated tumor invasion in Drosophila

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chenxi Wu ◽  
Xiang Ding ◽  
Zhuojie Li ◽  
Yuanyuan Huang ◽  
Qian Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Migration ◽  
Tumor Invasion ◽  
Epithelial To Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Primary Tumors ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Invasive Cell

AbstractCancer is one of the most fatal diseases that threaten human health, whereas more than 90% mortality of cancer patients is caused by tumor metastasis, rather than the growth of primary tumors. Thus, how to effectively control or even reverse the migration of tumor cells is of great significance for cancer therapy. CtBP, a transcriptional cofactor displaying high expression in a variety of human cancers, has become one of the main targets for cancer prediction, diagnosis, and treatment. The roles of CtBP in promoting tumorigenesis have been well studied in vitro, mostly based on gain-of-function, while its physiological functions in tumor invasion and the underlying mechanism remain largely elusive. Snail (Sna) is a well-known transcription factor involved in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and tumor invasion, yet the mechanism that regulates Sna activity has not been fully understood. Using Drosophila as a model organism, we found that depletion of CtBP or snail (sna) suppressed RasV12/lgl-/--triggered tumor growth and invasion, and disrupted cell polarity-induced invasive cell migration. In addition, loss of CtBP inhibits RasV12/Sna-induced tumor invasion and Sna-mediated invasive cell migration. Furthermore, both CtBP and Sna are physiologically required for developmental cell migration during thorax closure. Finally, Sna activates the JNK signaling and promotes JNK-dependent cell invasion. Given that CtBP physically interacts with Sna, our data suggest that CtBP and Sna may form a transcriptional complex that regulates JNK-dependent tumor invasion and cell migration in vivo.

scholarly journals Angiomotin

2001 ◽  
Vol 152 (6) ◽  
pp. 1247-1254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boris Troyanovsky ◽  
Tetyana Levchenko ◽  
Göran Månsson ◽  
Olga Matvijenko ◽  
Lars Holmgren
Keyword(s):  
Endothelial Cells ◽  
Cell Migration ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Tube Formation ◽  
Endothelial Cell Migration ◽  
Kringle Domains ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Cell Type Specific

Angiostatin, a circulating inhibitor of angiogenesis, was identified by its ability to maintain dormancy of established metastases in vivo. In vitro, angiostatin inhibits endothelial cell migration, proliferation, and tube formation, and induces apoptosis in a cell type–specific manner. We have used a construct encoding the kringle domains 1–4 of angiostatin to screen a placenta yeast two-hybrid cDNA library for angiostatin-binding peptides. Here we report the identification of angiomotin, a novel protein that mediates angiostatin inhibition of migration and tube formation of endothelial cells. In vivo, angiomotin is expressed in the endothelial cells of capillaries as well as larger vessels of the human placenta. Upon expression of angiomotin in HeLa cells, angiomotin bound and internalized fluorescein-labeled angiostatin. Transfected angiomotin as well as endogenous angiomotin protein were localized to the leading edge of migrating endothelial cells. Expression of angiomotin in endothelial cells resulted in increased cell migration, suggesting a stimulatory role of angiomotin in cell motility. However, treatment with angiostatin inhibited migration and tube formation in angiomotin-expressing cells but not in control cells. These findings indicate that angiostatin inhibits cell migration by interfering with angiomotin activity in endothelial cells.

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