Signaling through G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) promotes breast cancer metastasis. G proteins convey GPCR signals by dissociating into G␣ and G␥ subunits. The aim of the present study was to determine whether blockade of G␥ signaling suppresses breast cancer cell migration and invasion, which are critical components of metastasis. Conditioned media (CM) of NIH-3T3 fibroblasts are widely used as chemoattractants in in vitro cancer metastasis studies. Expression of a G␥ scavenger peptide attenuated NIH-3T3 CM-induced migration and invasion of both metastatic breast cancer MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-436 cells by 40 to 50% without effects on cell viability. Migration and invasion of cells in response to NIH-3T3 CM were also blocked by 8-(4,5,6-trihydroxy-3-oxo-3H-xanthen-9-yl)-1-naph-thalene-carboxylic acid) (M119K), a G␥ inhibitor, with maximum inhibition exceeding 80% and half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) values of 1 to 2 M.M119K also attenuated Rac-dependent formation of lamellipodia, a key structure required for metastasis. Constitutively active Rac1 rescued G␥ blockade-mediated inhibition of breast cancer cell migration, whereas dominant negative Rac1 inhibited cell migration similar to G␥ blockade. Furthermore, M119K suppressed G i protein-coupled CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4)-dependent MDA-MB-231 cell migration by 80% with an IC 50 value of 1 M, whereas tyrosine kinase receptor-dependent cell migration was significantly less inhibited. However, CXCR4-dependent inhibition of adenylyl cyclase, a G i ␣-mediated response in MDA-MB-231 cells, was not blocked by M119K but was blocked by pertussis toxin, which selectively inactivates G i ␣. This report is the first to directly demonstrate the role of G␥ in cancer cell migration and invasion and suggests that targeting G␥ signaling pathways may provide a novel strategy for suppressing breast cancer metastasis.Breast cancer is the second largest killer of women by cancer with approximately 40,000 deaths in the United States each year (Jemal et al., 2008). Patients who cannot be cured are primarily those in whom breast cancer has metastasized. Metastasis is a complex pathophysiological process, beginning with the migration and invasion of cancer cells into the surrounding tissues and lymphatics. From these sites, cancer cells can gain access to the circulation and proliferate to form new colonies at metastatic sites in vital organs such as the lung, bone, liver, and brain (StetlerStevenson and Kleiner, 2001). This directed cell migration and invasion is triggered by chemoattractants such as chemokines, growth factors, and matrix metalloproteases, which are sensed by cancer cell surface receptors including integrins, receptor tyrosine kinases, and G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Evidence from preclinical and clinical studies shows excessive activation of GPCRs in breast cancer caused by overexpression of receptors, abnormally elevated ligands for GPCRs, and/or down-regulation of RGS proteins (Dorsam and Gutkind, 2007;Xie et al., 200...