Sema4C/PlexinB2 signaling controls breast cancer cell growth, hormonal dependence and tumorigenic potential

Cell Death Differ. 2018 Jul;25(7):1259-1275. doi: 10.1038/s41418-018-0097-4. Epub 2018 Mar 19.

Abstract

Semaphorin 4C (Sema4C) expression in human breast cancers correlates with poor disease outcome. Surprisingly, upon knock-down of Sema4C or its receptor PlexinB2 in diverse mammary carcinoma cells (but not their normal counterparts), we observed dramatic growth inhibition associated with impairment of G2/M phase transition, cytokinesis defects and the onset of cell senescence. Mechanistically, we demonstrated a Sema4C/PlexinB2/LARG-dependent signaling cascade that is required to maintain critical RhoA-GTP levels in cancer cells. Interestingly, we also found that Sema4C upregulation in luminal-type breast cancer cells drives a dramatic phenotypic change, with disassembly of polarity complexes, mitotic spindle misorientation, cell-cell dissociation and increased migration and invasiveness. We found that this signaling cascade is dependent on the PlexinB2 effectors ErbB2 and RhoA-dependent kinases. Moreover, Sema4C-overexpressing luminal breast cancer cells upregulated the transcription factors Snail, Slug and SOX-2, and formed estrogen-independent metastatic tumors in mice. In sum, our data indicate that Sema4C/PlexinB2 signaling is essential for the growth of breast carcinoma cells, featuring a novel potential therapeutic target. In addition, elevated Sema4C expression enables indolent luminal-type tumors to become resistant to estrogen deprivation, invasive and metastatic in vivo, which could account for its association with a subset of human breast cancers with poor prognosis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Breast Neoplasms / genetics
  • Breast Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Breast Neoplasms / pathology
  • Estrogens / metabolism
  • Estrogens / pharmacology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • MCF-7 Cells
  • Mice
  • Mice, Nude
  • Mice, SCID
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins / genetics
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins / metabolism*
  • Receptor, ErbB-2 / genetics
  • Receptor, ErbB-2 / metabolism*
  • Semaphorins / genetics
  • Semaphorins / metabolism*
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects*
  • Signal Transduction / genetics

Substances

  • Estrogens
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins
  • PLXNB2 protein, human
  • Sema4c protein, human
  • Semaphorins
  • ERBB2 protein, human
  • Receptor, ErbB-2