Carla Boccaccio

Induction of epithelial tubules by growth factor HGF depends on the STAT pathway

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) induces a three-phase response leading to the formation of branched tubular structures in epithelial cells,. The HGF receptor tyrosine kinase works through a Src homology (SH2) docking site that can activate several signalling pathways. The first phase of the response (scattering), which results from cytoskeletal reorganization, loss of intercellular junctions and cell migration, is dependent on phosphatidylinositol-3-OH kinase and Rac activation,. The second phase (growth) requires stimulation of the Ras–MAP kinase cascade. Here we show that the third phase (tubulogenesis) is dependent on the STAT pathway. HGF stimulates recruitment of Stat-3 to the receptor, tyrosine phosphorylation, nuclear translocation and binding to the specific promoter element SIE. Electroporation of a tyrosine-phosphorylated peptide, which interferes with both the association of STAT to the receptor and STAT dimerization, inhibits tubule formation in vitro without affecting either HGF-induced ‘scattering’ or growth. The same result is obtained using a specific ‘decoy’ oligonucleotide that prevents STAT from binding to DNA and affecting the expression of genes involved in cell-cycle regulation (c-fos and waf-1). Activation of signal transducers that directly control transcription is therefore required for morphogenesis.

Invasive growth: a MET-driven genetic programme for cancer and stem cells

Metastasis follows the inappropriate activation of a genetic programme termed invasive growth, which is a physiological process that occurs during embryonic development and post-natal organ regeneration. Burgeoning evidence indicates that invasive growth is also executed by stem and progenitor cells, and is usurped by cancer stem cells. The MET proto-oncogene, which is expressed in both stem and cancer cells, is a key regulator of invasive growth. Recent findings indicate that the MET tyrosine-kinase receptor is a sensor of adverse microenvironmental conditions (such as hypoxia) and drives cell invasion and metastasis through the transcriptional activation of a set of genes that control blood coagulation.

Interactions between growth factor receptors and adhesion molecules: breaking the rules

Adhesion molecules, although catalytically inactive, are able to translate environmental cues into complex intracellular signals. They can do this by associating with tyrosine kinase receptors for growth factors, which can prime, integrate or feedback adhesion-based signals. Recent results show that reciprocal crosstalk between the two systems is only one facet of such a collaboration, and that unconventional and alternative hierarchies can be established in which, on the one hand, cell adhesion can trigger ligand-independent activation of growth factor receptors, and, on the other, growth factors can induce adhesion molecules to propagate adhesion-independent signals.

The MET oncogene drives a genetic programme linking cancer to haemostasis

The close relationship between activation of blood coagulation and cancer is an old enigma. In 1865, migrans trombophlebitis (‘a condition of the blood that predisposes it to spontaneous coagulation’) was described as a forewarning of occult malignancy (Trousseaus sign). This pioneering observation emphasized the existence of haemostasis disorders associated with cancer onset; this phenomenon has since been extensively reported in clinical and epidemiological studies, but has so far resisted a mechanistic explanation. Here we report a mouse model of sporadic tumorigenesis based on genetic manipulation of somatic cells. Targeting the activated, human MET oncogene to adult liver caused slowly progressing hepatocarcinogenesis. This was preceded and accompanied by a syndrome manifesting first with blood hypercoagulation (venous thromboses), and then evolving towards fatal internal haemorrhages. The pathogenesis of this syndrome is driven by the transcriptional response to the oncogene, including prominent upregulation of plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) genes. In vivo analysis showed that both proteins support the thrombohaemorrhagic phenotype, thus providing direct genetic evidence for the long-sought-after link between oncogene activation and haemostasis.

The MET Oncogene Is a Functional Marker of a Glioblastoma Stem Cell Subtype

The existence of treatment-resistant cancer stem cells contributes to the aggressive phenotype of glioblastoma. However, the molecular alterations that drive stem cell proliferation in these tumors remain unknown. In this study, we found that expression of the MET oncogene was associated with neurospheres expressing the gene signature of mesenchymal and proneural subtypes of glioblastoma. Met expression was almost absent from neurospheres expressing the signature of the classical subtype and was mutually exclusive with amplification and expression of the EGF receptor (EGFR) gene. Met-positive and Met-negative neurospheres displayed distinct growth factor requirements, differentiated along divergent pathways, and generated tumors with distinctive features. The Met(high) subpopulation within Met-pos neurospheres displayed clonogenic potential and long-term self-renewal ability in vitro and enhanced growth kinetics in vivo. In Met(high) cells, the Met ligand HGF further sustained proliferation, clonogenicity, expression of self-renewal markers, migration, and invasion in vitro. Together, our findings suggest that Met is a functional marker of glioblastoma stem cells and a candidate target for identification and therapy of a subset of glioblastomas.

HGF/scatter factor selectively promotes cell invasion by increasing integrin avidity.

Hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF) controls a genetic program known as ‘invasive growth’, which involves as critical steps cell adhesion, migration, and trespassing of basement membranes. We show here that in MDA‐MB‐231 carcinoma cells, these steps are elicited by HGF/SF but not by epidermal growth factor (EGF). Neither factor substantially alters the production or activity of extracellular matrix proteases. HGF/SF, but not EGF, selectively promotes cell adhesion on laminins 1 and 5, fibronectin, and vitronectin through a PI3‐K‐dependent mechanism. Increased adhesion is followed by enhanced invasiveness through isolated matrix proteins as well as through reconstituted basement membranes. Inhibition assays using function‐blocking antibodies show that this phenomenon is mediated by multiple integrins including βl, β3, β4, and β5. HGF/SF triggers clustering of all these integrins at actin‐rich adhesive sites and lamellipodia but does not quantitatively modify their membrane expression. These data suggest that HGF/SF promotes cell adhesion and invasiveness by increasing the avidity of integrins for their specific ligands.–Trusolino, L., Cavassa, S., Angelini, P., Andò, M., Bertotti, A., Comoglio, P. M., Boccaccio, C. HGF/scatter factor selectively promotes cell invasion by increasing integrin avidity. FASEB J. 14, 1629–1640 (2000)

Wild-type p53 controls cell motility and invasion by dual regulation of MET expression

Recent observations suggest that p53 mutations are responsible not only for growth of primary tumors but also for their dissemination. However, mechanisms involved in p53-mediated control of cell motility and invasion remain poorly understood. By using the primary ovarian surface epithelium cell culture, we show that conditional inactivation of p53 or expression of its mutant forms results in overexpression of MET receptor tyrosine kinase, a crucial regulator of invasive growth. At the same time, cells acquire increased MET-dependent motility and invasion. Wild-type p53 negatively regulates MET expression by two mechanisms: (i) transactivation of MET-targeting miR-34, and (ii) inhibition of SP1 binding to MET promoter. Both mechanisms are not functional in p53 absence, but mutant p53 proteins retain partial MET promoter suppression. Accordingly, MET overexpression, cell motility, and invasion are particularly high in p53-null cells. These results identify MET as a critical effector of p53 and suggest that inhibition of MET may be an effective antimetastatic approach to treat cancers with p53 mutations. These results also show that the extent of advanced cancer traits, such as invasion, may be determined by alterations in individual components of p53/MET regulatory network.

Apoptosis enhancement by the HIV-1 Nef protein.

The HIV-1 nef gene, essential for AIDS pathogenesis, encodes a 27-kDa protein (Nef) whose biochemical and biological functions are unclear. It has been suggested that Nef expression contributes to the T cell depletion observed during the disease by promoting their apoptosis. We report that in CD4+ human lymphoblastoid cell lines transfected with the nef cDNA obtained from three different HIV-1 strains, expression of the Nef protein enhances and accelerates the response to four unrelated apoptotic agents (staurosporine, anisomycin, camptothecin, and etoposide) but not to an anti-Fas agonist Ab. Nef reduces the expression of the anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL and induces a striking enhancement of apoptotic hallmarks, including mitochondrial depolarization, exposure of phosphatidylserine on the cell surface, activation of caspase-3, and cleavage of the caspase target poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. Interestingly, the peptide Z-Val-Ala-DL-Asp-fluoromethylketone (a broad-spectrum caspase inhibitor) reduces, but does not abolish, phosphatidylserine exposure, suggesting that Nef also activates a caspase-independent apoptotic pathway. Surprisingly, Nef expression increases DNA degradation but without causing oligonucleosomal fragmentation. An increased apoptotic response and down-modulation of Bcl-2/Bcl-XL following Nef expression are observed also in NIH-3T3 fibroblasts. These data show that Nef enhances programmed cell death in different cell types by affecting multiple critical components of the apoptotic machinery independently from the Fas pathway.

Hepatocyte Growth Factor Is a Regulator of Monocyte-Macrophage Function

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a potent paracrine mediator of stromal/epithelial interactions, which is secreted as a matrix-associated inactive precursor (pro-HGF) and locally activated by tightly controlled urokinase cleavage. It induces proliferation and motility in epithelial and endothelial cells, and plays a role in physiological and pathological processes involving invasive cell growth, such as angiogenesis and parenchymal regeneration. We now report that HGF induces directional migration and cytokine secretion in human monocytes. Monocyte activation by endotoxin and IL-1β results in the up-regulation of the HGF receptor expression and in the induction of cell-associated pro-HGF convertase activity, thus enhancing cell responsiveness to the factor. Furthermore, we provide evidence for the secretion of biologically active HGF by activated monocytes, implying an autocrine stimulation. Altogether, these data indicate that monocyte function is modulated by HGF in a paracrine/autocrine manner, and provide a new link between stromal environment and mononuclear phagocytes.

The HGF receptor family: unconventional signal transducers for invasive cell growth

The HGF receptor family includes tyrosine kinases encoded by three oncogenes: METSEA and RON. The members of this gene family share a unique functional feature: they mediate cell dissociation and motility (‘scattering‘) in physiological conditions, and invasiveness in their activated versions. The MetRon and Sea receptors display a distinctive signal transduction behaviour. Unlike conventional growth factor receptors, their cytoplasmic tails contain a multifunctional docking site. Upon autophosphorylation, this sequence simultaneously binds and activates multiple SH2‐containing transducers, including Ras and PI 3‐kinase. A deregulated activation of this ‘supersite’ triggers a dramatic pleiotropic signal which is responsible for invasive cell growth.