Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) promotes cell motility, which is important for the metastasis of malignant cells, and blocks CD95-mediated apoptotic signaling triggered by immune cells and chemotherapeutic regimens. CD95L, the cognate ligand of CD95, can be cleaved by metalloproteases and released as a soluble molecule (cl-CD95L). Unlike transmembrane CD95L, cl-CD95L does not induce apoptosis but triggers cell motility. Electron paramagnetic resonance was used to show that EMT and cl-CD95L treatment both led to augmentation of plasma membrane fluidity that was instrumental in inducing cell migration. Compaction of the plasma membrane is modulated, among other factors, by the ratio of certain lipids such as sphingolipids in the membrane. An integrative analysis of gene expression in NCI tumor cell lines revealed that expression of ceramide synthase-6 (CerS6) decreased during EMT. Furthermore, pharmacological and genetic approaches established that modulation of CerS6 expression/activity in cancer cells altered the level of C16-ceramide, which in turn influenced plasma membrane fluidity and cell motility. Therefore, this study identifies CerS6 as a novel EMT-regulated gene that has a pivotal role in the regulation of cell migration.

Metalloprotease-processed CD95L (cl-CD95L) is a soluble cytokine that implements a PI3K/Ca2+ signaling pathway in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells. Accordingly, high levels of cl-CD95L in TNBC women correlate with poor prognosis, and administration of this ligand in an orthotopic xenograft mouse model accelerates the metastatic dissemination of TNBC cells. The molecular mechanism underlying CD95-mediated cell migration remains unknown. Here, we present genetic and pharmacologic evidence that the anti-apoptotic molecules BclxL and Bcl-2 and the pro-apoptotic factors BAD and BID cooperate to promote migration of TNBC cells stimulated with cl-CD95L. BclxL was distributed in both endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondrion membranes. The mitochondrion-localized isoform promoted cell migration by interacting with voltage-dependent anion channel 1 to orchestrate Ca2+ transfer from the ER to mitochondria in a BH3-dependent manner. Mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter contributed to this flux, which favored ATP production and cell migration. In conclusion, this study reveals a novel molecular mechanism controlled by BclxL to promote cancer cell migration and supports the use of BH3 mimetics as therapeutic options not only to kill tumor cells but also to prevent metastatic dissemination in TNBCs.