Poster Presentation 27th Lorne Cancer Conference 2015

Regulation of sarcoma cell invasion and invadopodia formation by AFAP1L1 through a Lyn/SFK-AFAP1L1-Nck/Vav2 pathway (#181)

Sien R Tie 1 , David J McCarthy 1 , Alison Louw 2 , Cindy Le 1 , Jiulia Satiaputra 1 , Tulene S Kendrick 1 , Nicole Kucera 1 , Michael Philips 1 , Evan Ingley 1
  1. Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research and Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia
  2. RPH Medical Research Foundation, Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, WA, Australia

Invasion and metastasis are controlled by the invadopodia, which delivers matrix-degrading enzymes to the invasion interface permitting cancer cell penetration and spread into healthy tissue. We have identified a novel pathway that directs Lyn/Src family tyrosine kinase signals to the invadopodia to regulate sarcoma cell invasion via the molecule AFAP1L1, a new member of the AFAP (Actin Filament Associated Protein) family, the expression of which is strongly associated with malignant osteosarcoma, liposarcoma and leiomyosarcoma (p<0.0001). AFAP1L1 can transform cells, promote migration, and its co-expression with active Lyn profoundly influences cell morphology and movement. AFAP1L1 intersects several invadopodia pathway components through its multiple domains and motifs including two pleckstrin homology domains that bind phospho-lipids generated at the plasma membrane by PI-3 kinase, a direct filamentous-actin binding domain, and two phospho-tyrosine motifs (pY136 and pY566) that specifically bind Vav2 and Nck2 SH2 domains, respectively and which are essential for AFAP1L1-mediated cytoskeleton regulation. Through Vav2 AFAP1L1 regulates Rac activity and its down-stream differential control of PAK1/2/3 (p21-activated kinases) leading to inhibition of myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) and reduced myosin light chain-2 (MLC2) phosphorylation, while Nck2 can recruit actin-nucleating complexes. Significantly, in osteosarcoma cell lines phospho-AFAP1L1 binds Vav2 and Nck2, and knockdown of AFAP1L1 inhibits pMLC2 recruitment to filamentous-actin structures, disrupts invadopodia formation, cell attachment and migration/invasion. These data define a novel pathway that directs Lyn/SFK tyrosine kinase signals to sarcoma cell invadopodia through specific pY-motif mediated recruitment of Vav2 and Nck2 to AFAP1L1 to control cell migration/invasion.