A novel role for Wnt/Ca2+ signaling in actin cytoskeleton remodeling and cell motility in prostate cancer

PLoS One. 2010 May 4;5(5):e10456. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0010456.

Abstract

Wnt signaling is a critical regulatory pathway in development and disease. Very little is known about the mechanisms of Wnt signaling in prostate cancer, a leading cause of death in men. A quantitative analysis of the expression of Wnt5A protein in human tissue arrays, containing 600 prostate tissue cores, showed >50% increase in malignant compared to benign cores (p<0.0001). In a matched pair of prostate cancer and normal cell line, expression of Wnt5A protein was also increased. Calcium waves were induced in prostate cells in response to Wnt5A with a 3 fold increase in Flou-4 intensity. The activity of Ca(2+)/calmodulin dependent protein kinase (CaMKII), a transducer of the non-canonical Wnt/Ca(2+) signaling, increased by 8 fold in cancer cells; no change was observed in beta-catenin expression, known to activate the canonical Wnt/beta-catenin pathway. Mining of publicly available human prostate cancer oligoarray datasets revealed that the expression of numerous genes (e.g., CCND1, CD44) under the control of beta-catenin transcription is down-regulated. Confocal and quantitative electron microscopy showed that specific inhibition of CaMKII in cancer cells causes remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton, irregular wound edges and loose intercellular architecture and a 6 and 8 fold increase in the frequency and length of filopodia, respectively. Conversely, untreated normal prostate cells showed an irregular wound edge and loose intercellular architecture; incubation of normal prostate cells with recombinant Wnt5A protein induced actin remodeling with a regular wound edge and increased wound healing capacity. Live cell imaging showed that a functional consequence of CaMKII inhibition was 80% decrease in wound healing capacity and reduced cell motility in cancer cells. We propose that non-canonical Wnt/Ca(2+) signaling via CaMKII acts as a novel regulator of structural plasticity and cell motility in prostate cancer.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Actins / metabolism*
  • Calcium / metabolism
  • Calcium Signaling*
  • Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2 / metabolism
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Movement*
  • Cytoskeleton / metabolism*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Microscopy, Confocal
  • Prostate / enzymology
  • Prostate / pathology
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / genetics
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / ultrastructure
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins / genetics
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins / metabolism*
  • Pseudopodia / metabolism
  • Pseudopodia / ultrastructure
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Signal Transduction
  • Wnt Proteins / genetics
  • Wnt Proteins / metabolism*
  • Wnt-5a Protein
  • Wound Healing

Substances

  • Actins
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins
  • RNA, Messenger
  • WNT5A protein, human
  • Wnt Proteins
  • Wnt-5a Protein
  • Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2
  • Calcium