Steroid Receptor Coactivator-1 Upregulates Integrin α5 Expression to Promote Breast Cancer Cell Adhesion and Migration

Abstract

Metastatic breast cancer remains a lethal disease with poorly understood molecular mechanisms. Steroid receptor coactivator-1 (SRC-1 or NCOA1) is overexpressed in a subset of breast cancers with poor prognosis. It potentiates gene expression by serving as a coactivator for nuclear receptors and other transcription factors. We previously reported that SRC-1 promotes breast cancer metastasis without affecting primary mammary tumor formation. Herein, we found that SRC-1 deficiency in mouse and human breast cancer cells substantially reduced cell adhesion and migration capabilities on fibronectin and significantly extended the time of focal adhesion disassembly and reassembly. In agreement with this phenotype, SRC-1 expression positively correlated with integrin a 5 (ITGA5) expression in estrogen receptor-negative breast tumors whereas SRC-1 deficiency decreased ITGA5 expression. Furthermore, ITGA5 reduction in SRC-1-deficient/insufficient breast cancer cells or knockdown of ITGA5 in SRC-1-expressing breast cancer cells was associated with a disturbed integrin-mediated signaling. Critical downstream changes included reduced phosphorylation and/or dampened activation of focal adhesion kinase, paxillin, Rac1, and Erk1/2 during cell adhesion. Finally, we found that SRC-1 enhanced ITGA5 promoter activity through an AP-1 (activator protein)-binding site proximal to the transcriptional initiation site; both SRC-1 and c-Jun were recruited to this promoter region in breast cancer cells. These results show that SRC-1 can promote breast cancer metastasis by directly enhancing ITGA5 expression and thus promoting ITGA5-mediated cell adhesion and migration. Therefore, targeting ITGA5 in SRC-1-positive breast cancers may result in inhibition of SRC-1-promoted breast cancer metastasis. Cancer Res; 71(5);

Analysis of the molecular mechanism of osteosarcoma using a bioinformatics approach

“…In the present study, ITGA5 was also found to be associated with pathways involved in focal adhesion and ECM-receptor interaction. Focal adhesion connects the cell cytoskeleton and the ECM through integrins (33). Accordingly, ITGA5 exhibited a crucial role in the OS development via cell adhesion.…”

Metastatic Progression with Resistance to Aromatase Inhibitors Is Driven by the Steroid Receptor Coactivator SRC-1

“…Unlike other oncogenes, recent studies provide evidence of a specific role for SRC-1 in the development of metastasis (29,30). Of interest, knockdown of SRC-1 can decrease cell proliferation, restore differentiation, and decrease migration in tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer cells (11).…”

Chromosome 2p gain in monoclonal B‐cell lymphocytosis and in early stage chronic lymphocytic leukemia

“…Among these we should mention NCOA1 (nuclear receptor coactivator (1), a transcriptional coactivator belonging to the SRC family which is deregulated in breast and prostatic cancer and may potentiate gene expression by acting as a coactivator for nuclear hormone receptors and other transcription factors (TF) [44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55]; and ROCK2, a serine/threonine kinase member of the Rho pathway, involved in cell adhesion, migration, invasion, and mitosis [56][57][58][59], which may be a potential therapeutic target in human cancer cells and animal models [60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68].…”