An Integrin-Linked Machinery of Cytoskeletal Regulation that Enables Experimental Tumor Initiation and Metastatic Colonization

• Main Authors: Shibue, Tsukasa (Contributor), Brooks, Mary W (Contributor), Weinberg, Robert A (Contributor)
• Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biology (Contributor), Ludwig Center for Molecular Oncology (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) (Contributor)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier, 2018-07-12T18:22:36Z.
• Subjects: Article
• Online Access: Get fulltext

Recently extravasated metastatic cancer cells use the Rif/mDia2 actin-nucleating/polymerizing machinery in order to extend integrin β1-containing, filopodium-like protrusions (FLPs), which enable them to interact productively with the surrounding extracellular matrix; this process governs the initial proliferation of these cancer cells. Here, we identify the signaling pathway governing FLP lifetime, which involves integrin-linked kinase (ILK) and β-parvin, two integrin:actin-bridging proteins that block cofilin-mediated actin-filament severing. Notably, the combined actions of Rif/mDia2 and ILK/β-parvin/cofilin pathways on FLPs are required not only for metastatic outgrowth but also for primary tumor formation following experimental implantation. This provides one mechanistic explanation for how the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) program imparts tumor-initiating powers to carcinoma cells, since it enhances FLP formation through the activation of ILK/β-parvin/cofilin pathway.
National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant P01 CA080111)
National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant U54-CA163109)