Overexpression of macrophage inhibitory cytokine-1 induces metastasis of human prostate cancer cells through the FAK-RhoA signaling pathway

Oncogene. 2010 Mar 4;29(9):1293-302. doi: 10.1038/onc.2009.420. Epub 2009 Nov 30.

Abstract

An elevated level of macrophage inhibitory cytokine-1 (MIC-1) is reported in the sera of patients with metastatic prostate cancer compared with that of benign diseases and healthy adults. We investigated the mechanistic role of MIC-1 overexpression in the metastasis of prostate cancer cells. Our study showed a progressive increase in secretory MIC-1 production correlated with the increase in the metastatic potential of PC-3 and LNPCa prostate cancer metastatic variants. Further, the in vitro studies using 'loss-' and 'gain'-of-function approaches showed that ectopic overexpression of MIC-1 (PC-3-MIC-1) and forced downregulation of MIC-1(PC-3M-siMIC-1) enhanced and reduced the motility and invasiveness of these cells, respectively. Supporting our in vitro observations, all the mice orthotopically implanted with PC-3-MIC-1 cells developed metastasis compared with none in the PC-3-vector group. Our results showed that MIC-1 overexpression was associated with apparent changes in actin organization. In addition, an enhanced phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and guanosine-5'-triphosphate (GTP)-bound RhoA was also seen; however, no significant change was observed in total FAK and RhoA levels in the PC-3-MIC-1 cells. Altogether, our findings show that MIC-1 has a role in prostate cancer metastasis, in part, by promoting the motility of these cells. Activation of the FAK-RhoA signaling pathway is involved in MIC-1-mediated actin reorganization, and thus, leads to an increase in the motility of prostate cancer cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Animals
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Movement / drug effects
  • Cell Movement / physiology
  • Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / physiology
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Growth Differentiation Factor 15 / genetics
  • Growth Differentiation Factor 15 / metabolism
  • Growth Differentiation Factor 15 / pharmacology*
  • Growth Differentiation Factor 15 / physiology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Neoplasm Invasiveness / pathology
  • Neoplasm Metastasis / pathology*
  • Neoplasm Metastasis / physiopathology
  • Phosphorylation
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / genetics
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects*
  • Signal Transduction / genetics
  • rhoA GTP-Binding Protein / physiology

Substances

  • Growth Differentiation Factor 15
  • Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
  • rhoA GTP-Binding Protein