Flaiz Christine, Chernoff Jonathan, Ammoun Sylwia, Peterson Jeffrey R, Hanemann Clemens O
Clinical Neurobiology, Peninsula College for Medicine and Dentistry, The John Bull Building, Tamar Science Park, Research Way, Plymouth PL6 8BU, UK.
Exp Neurol. 2009 Jul;218(1):137-44. doi: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2009.04.019. Epub 2009 May 3.
Merlin loss causes benign tumours of the nervous system, mainly schwannomas and meningiomas. Schwannomas show enhanced Rac1 and Cdc42 activity, the p21-activated kinase 2 (PAK2) activation and increased ruffling and cell adhesion. PAK regulates activation of merlin. PAK has been proposed as a potential therapeutic target in schwannomas. However where PAK stands in the Rac pathway is insufficiently characterised. We used a novel small-molecule PAK inhibitor, IPA-3, to investigate the role of PAK activation on Rac1/Cdc42 activity, cell spreading and adhesion in human primary schwannoma and Schwann cells. We show that IPA-3 blocks activation of PAK2 at Ser192/197 that antagonises PAK's interaction with Pix. Accordingly, Pix-mediated Rac1 activation is decreased in IPA-3 treated schwannoma cells, indicating that PAK acts upstream of Rac. We show that this Rac activation at the level of focal adhesions in schwannoma cells is essential for cell spreading and adhesion in Schwann and schwannoma cells.
Merlin缺失会导致神经系统的良性肿瘤,主要是神经鞘瘤和脑膜瘤。神经鞘瘤表现出Rac1和Cdc42活性增强、p21激活激酶2(PAK2)激活以及褶皱和细胞黏附增加。PAK调节Merlin的激活。PAK已被提议作为神经鞘瘤的潜在治疗靶点。然而,PAK在Rac信号通路中的位置尚未得到充分表征。我们使用一种新型小分子PAK抑制剂IPA-3,来研究PAK激活对人原发性神经鞘瘤和雪旺细胞中Rac1/Cdc42活性、细胞铺展和黏附的作用。我们发现IPA-3可阻断PAK2在Ser192/197位点的激活,这会拮抗PAK与Pix的相互作用。相应地,在经IPA-3处理的神经鞘瘤细胞中,Pix介导的Rac1激活减少,表明PAK在Rac上游发挥作用。我们表明,神经鞘瘤细胞中黏着斑水平的这种Rac激活对于雪旺细胞和神经鞘瘤细胞的铺展和黏附至关重要。