Carcinoma associated fibroblasts (CAFs) promote breast cancer motility by suppressing mammalian Diaphanous-related formin-2 (mDia2)

PLoS One. 2018 Mar 29;13(3):e0195278. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0195278. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

The tumor microenvironment (TME) promotes tumor cell invasion and metastasis. An important step in the shift to a pro-cancerous microenvironment is the transformation of normal stromal fibroblasts to carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). CAFs are present in a majority of solid tumors and can directly promote tumor cell motility via cytokine, chemokine and growth factor secretion into the TME. The exact effects that the TME has upon cytoskeletal regulation in motile tumor cells remain enigmatic. The conserved formin family of cytoskeleton regulating proteins plays an essential role in the assembly and/or bundling of unbranched actin filaments. Mammalian Diaphanous-related formin 2 (mDia2/DIAPH3/Drf3/Dia) assembles a dynamic F-actin cytoskeleton that underlies tumor cell migration and invasion. We therefore sought to understand whether CAF-derived chemokines impact breast tumor cell motility through modification of the formin-assembled F-actin cytoskeleton. In MDA-MB-231 cells, conditioned media (CM) from WS19T CAFs, a human breast tumor-adjacent CAF line, significantly and robustly increased wound closure and invasion relative to normal human mammary fibroblast (HMF)-CM. WS19T-CM also promoted proteasome-mediated mDia2 degradation in MDA-MB-231 cells relative to control HMF-CM and WS21T CAF-CM, a breast CAF cell line that failed to promote robust MDA-MB-231 migration. Cytokine array analysis of CM identified up-regulated secreted factors in WS19T relative to control WS21T CM. We identified CXCL12 as a CM factor influencing loss of mDia2 protein while increasing MDA-MB-231 cell migration. Our data suggest a mechanism whereby CAFs promote tumor cell migration and invasion through CXCL12 secretion to regulate the mDia2-directed cytoskeleton in breast tumor cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Actin Cytoskeleton / metabolism
  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / genetics
  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / metabolism
  • Breast Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Breast Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts / pathology*
  • Carrier Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Carrier Proteins / genetics
  • Carrier Proteins / metabolism
  • Cell Movement*
  • Chemokine CXCL12 / genetics
  • Chemokine CXCL12 / metabolism
  • Culture Media, Conditioned / pharmacology
  • Female
  • Formins
  • Humans
  • Signal Transduction
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured
  • Tumor Microenvironment / drug effects
  • Wound Healing

Substances

  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing
  • CXCL12 protein, human
  • Carrier Proteins
  • Chemokine CXCL12
  • Culture Media, Conditioned
  • DIAPH2 protein, human
  • DIAPH3 protein, human
  • Formins