Krüppel-like factor 8 induces epithelial to mesenchymal transition and epithelial cell invasion.

X Wang — 2008-05-16T02:12:05-00:00

Cancer research, Vol. 67, No. 15. (1 August 2007), pp. 7184-7193.

Tumor invasion and metastasis are the main causes of death from cancer. Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a determining step for a cancer cell to progress from a noninvasive to invasive state. Krüppel-like factor 8 (KLF8) plays a key role in oncogenic transformation and is highly overexpressed in several types of invasive human cancer, including breast cancer. To understand the role of KLF8 in regulating the progression of human breast cancer, we first established stable expression of KLF8 in an immortalized normal human breast epithelial cell line. We found that KLF8 strongly induced EMT and enhanced motility and invasiveness in the cells, by analyzing changes in cell morphology and epithelial and mesenchymal marker proteins, and using cell migration and Matrigel invasion assays. Chromatin immunoprecipitations (ChIP), oligonucleotide precipitations, and promoter-reporter assays showed that KLF8 directly bound and repressed the promoter of E-cadherin independent of E boxes in the promoter and Snail expression. Aberrant elevation of KLF8 expression is highly correlated with the decrease in E-cadherin expression in the invasive human breast cancer. Blocking KLF8 expression by RNA interference restored E-cadherin expression in the cancer cells and strongly inhibited the cell invasiveness. This work identifies KLF8 as a novel EMT-regulating transcription factor that opens a new avenue in EMT research and suggests an important role for KLF8 in human breast cancer invasion and metastasis.

TGF-beta1-induced PAI-1 gene expression requires MEK activity and cell-to-substrate adhesion.

SM Kutz — 2007-10-23T08:54:45-00:00

J Cell Sci, Vol. 114, No. Pt 21. (November 2001), pp. 3905-3914.

The type-1 inhibitor of plasminogen activator (PAI-1) is an important physiological regulator of extracellular matrix (ECM) homeostasis and cell motility. Various growth factors mediate temporal changes in the expression and/or focalization of PAI-1 and its protease target PAs, thereby influencing cell migration by barrier proteolysis and/or ECM adhesion modulation. TGF-beta1, in particular, is an effective inducer of matrix deposition/turnover, cell locomotion and PAI-1 expression. Therefore, the relationship between motility and PAI-1 induction was assessed in TGF-beta1-sensitive T2 renal epithelial cells. PAI-1 synthesis and its matrix deposition in response to TGF-beta1 correlated with a significant increase in cell motility. PAI-1 expression was an important aspect in cellular movement as PAI-1-deficient cells had significantly impaired basal locomotion and were unresponsive to TGF-beta1. However, the induced migratory response to this growth factor was complex. TGF-beta1 concentrations of 1-2 ng/ml were significantly promigratory, whereas lower levels (0.2-0.6 ng/ml) were ineffective and final concentrations > or =5 ng/ml inhibited T2 cell motility. This same growth factor range progressively increased PAI-1 transcript levels in T2 cells consistent with a bifunctional role for PAI-1 in cell migration. TGF-beta1 induced PAI-1 mRNA transcripts in quiescent T2 cells via an immediate-early response mechanism. Full TGF-beta1-stimulated expression required tyrosine kinase activity and involved MAPK/ERK kinase (MEK). MEK appeared to be a major mediator of TGF-beta1-dependent PAI-1 expression and T2 cell motility since PD98059 effectively attenuated both TGF-beta1-induced ERK1/2 activation and PAI-1 transcription as well as basal and growth factor-stimulated planar migration. Since MEK activation in response to growth factors is adhesion-dependent, it was important to determine whether cellular adhesive state influenced TGF-beta1-mediated PAI-1 expression in the T2 cell system. Cells maintained in suspension culture (i.e., over agarose underlays) in growth factor-free medium or treated with TGF-beta1 in suspension expressed relatively low levels of PAI-1 transcripts compared with the significant induction of PAI-1 mRNA evident in T2 cells upon stimulation with TGF-beta1 during adhesion to a fibronectin-coated substrate. Attachment to fibronectin alone (i.e., in the absence of added growth factor) was sufficient to initiate PAI-1 transcription, albeit at levels considerably lower than that induced by the combination of cell adhesion in the presence of TGF-beta1. T2 cells allowed to attach to vitronectin-coated surfaces also expressed PAI-1 transcripts but to a significantly reduced extent relative to cells adherent to fibronectin. Moreover, newly vitronectin-attached cells did not exhibit a PAI-1 inductive response to TGF-beta1, at least during the short 2 hour period of combined treatment. PAI-1 mRNA synthesis in response to substrate attachment, like TGF-beta1-mediated induction in adherent cultures, also required MEK activity as fibronectin-stimulated PAI-1 expression was effectively attenuated by the MEK inhibitor PD98059. These data indicate that cellular adhesive state modulates TGF-beta1 signaling to particular target genes (i.e., PAI-1) and that MEK is a critical mediator of the PAI-1(+)/promigratory phenotype switch induced by TGF-beta1 in T2 cells.

CiteULike: jyuh's McKeown-Longo

Krüppel-like factor 8 induces epithelial to mesenchymal transition and epithelial cell invasion.

TGF-beta1-induced PAI-1 gene expression requires MEK activity and cell-to-substrate adhesion.