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Integrin-mediated adhesion is a critical regulator of cell migration. Here we demonstrate that integrin-mediated adhesion to high fibronectin concentrations induces a stop signal for cell migration by inhibiting cell polarization and protrusion. On fibronectin, the stop signal is generated through ␣5␤1 integrin-mediated signaling to the Rho family of GTPases. Specifically, Cdc42 and Rac1 activation exhibits a biphasic dependence on fibronectin concentration that parallels optimum cell polarization and protrusion. In contrast, RhoA activity increases with increasing substratum concentration. We find that cross talk between Cdc42 and Rac1 is required for substratum-stimulated protrusion, whereas RhoA activity is inhibitory. We also show that Cdc42 activity is inhibited by Rac1 activation, suggesting that Rac1 activity may down-regulate Cdc42 activity and promote the formation of stabilized rather than transient protrusion. Furthermore, expression of RhoA down-regulates Cdc42 and Rac1 activity, providing a mechanism whereby RhoA may inhibit cell polarization and protrusion. These findings implicate adhesion-dependent signaling as a mechanism to stop cell migration by regulating cell polarity and protrusion via the Rho family of GTPases. INTRODUCTIONCell migration plays a central role in both normal and pathological processes, including embryonic development, wound healing, inflammation, and tumor metastasis (Trinkaus, 1984). Integrin-mediated adhesion to the extracellular matrix is a critical regulator of cell migration speed for many cell types, including fibroblasts and carcinomas. These cell types exhibit a biphasic relationship between cell migration speed and substratum concentration (Goodman et al., 1989;DiMilla et al., 1993;Huttenlocher et al., 1996;Ho et al., 1997;Palecek et al., 1997), with maximum migration rates at intermediate adhesiveness where cells can both efficiently form adhesions at the cell front and release adhesive contacts at the cell rear (DiMilla et al., 1991;Duband et al., 1991;Huttenlocher et al., 1995). Previous studies have implicated reduced adhesive release at the cell's rear as an important mechanism for inhibited migration under conditions of high cell substratum adhesiveness (Marks et al., 1991;Hendey et al., 1992;Jay et al., 1995;Huttenlocher et al., 1997;Cox and Huttenlocher, 1998;Palecek et al., 1998).Integrins are a family of heterodimeric cell surface adhesion receptors that bind to specific extracellular matrix components and cluster in the membrane to form organized adhesive contacts called focal complexes or focal adhesions (Hynes, 1992). To migrate, cells must coordinately assemble and disassemble integrin-containing adhesive complexes. Integrin-containing adhesive complexes regulate cell migration by performing both an adhesive function, linking the extracellular matrix to the actin cytoskeleton, and a signal transduction function by regulating molecules important for cell motility (Clark and Brugge, 1995;Huttenlocher et al., 1995; Ilic et al., 1995;Cary et al., 1996Cary ...

Exchange protein directly activated by cAMP (EPAC) and cAMPdependent protein kinase (PKA) are two intracellular receptors that mediate the effects of the prototypic second messenger cAMP. Identifying pharmacological probes for selectively modulating EPAC activity represents a significant unmet need within the research field. Herein, we report the identification and characterization of 3-(5-tert-butyl-isoxazol-3-yl)-2-[(3-chlorophenyl)-hydrazono]-3-oxo-propionitrile (ESI-09), a novel noncyclic nucleotide EPAC antagonist that is capable of specifically blocking intracellular EPAC-mediated Rap1 activation and Akt phosphorylation, as well as EPAC-mediated insulin secretion in pancreatic b cells. Using this novel EPAC-specific inhibitor, we have probed the functional roles of overexpression of EPAC1 in pancreatic cancer cells. Our studies show that EPAC1 plays an important role in pancreatic cancer cell migration and invasion, and thus represents a potential target for developing novel therapeutic strategies for pancreatic cancer.

Abstract. The role of integrins in muscle differentiation was addressed by ectopic expression of integrin o~ subunits in primary quail skeletal muscle, a culture system particularly amenable to efficient transfection and expression of exogenous genes. Ectopic expression of either the human a5 subunit or the chicken et6 subunit produced contrasting phenotypes. The ot5-transfected myoblasts remain in the proliferative phase and are differentiation inhibited even in confluent cultures. In contrast, myoblasts that overexpress the or6 subunit exhibit inhibited proliferation and substantial differentiation. Antisense suppression of endogenous quail et6 expression inhibits myoblast differentiation resulting in sustained proliferation. These effects of ectopic a subunit expression are mediated, to a large extent, by the cytoplasmic domains. Ectopic expression of chimeric a subunits, ct5ex/6cyto and a6ex/5¢yto, produced phenotypes opposite to those observed with ectopic or5 or or6 expression. Myoblasts that express a5ex/6mo show decreased proliferation while differentiation is partially restored. In contrast, the et6ex/5¢yto transfectants remain in the proliferative phase unless allowed to become confluent for at least 24 h. Furthermore, expression of human ct5 subunit cytoplasmic domain truncations, before and after the conserved GFFKR motif, shows that this sequence is important in a5 regulation of differentiation. Ectopic c~5 and o~6 expression also results in contrasting responses to the mitogenic effects of serum growth factors. Myoblasts expressing the human et5 subunit differentiate only in the absence of serum while differentiation of untransfected and ot6-transfected myoblasts is insensitive to serum concentration. Addition of individual, exogenous growth factors to a5-transfected myoblasts results in unique responses that differ from their effects on untransfected ceils. Both bFGF or TGFI3 inhibit the serum-free differentiation of a5-transfected myoblasts, but differ in that bFGF stimulates proliferation whereas TGF-13 inhibits it. Insulin or TGF-ot promote proliferation and differentiation of ot5-transfected myoblasts; however, insulin alters myotube morphology. TGF-o~ or PDGF-BB enhance muscle ct-actinin organization into myofibrils, which is impaired in differentiated or5 cultures. With the exception of TGF-ot, these growth factor effects are not apparent in untransfected myoblasts. Finally, myoblast survival under serum-free conditions is enhanced by ectopic ct5 expression only in the presence of bFGF and insulin while TGF-et and TGF-~ promote survival of untransfected myoblasts. Our observations demonstrate (1) a specificity for integrin a subunits in regulating myoblast proliferation and differentiation; (2) that the ratio of integrin expression can affect the decision to proliferate or differentiate; (3) a role for the et subunit cytoplasmic domain in mediating proliferative and differentiative signals; and (4) the regulation of proliferation, differentiation, cytoskeletal assembly, and cell survival dep...