Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, FE, Italy.
Laboratory for Advanced Therapy Technologies (LTTA), 44121 Ferrara, FE, Italy.
Cells. 2021 Nov 6;10(11):3059. doi: 10.3390/cells10113059.
We have investigated motility in breast cancer cell lines in association with the expression of Transglutaminase type 2 (TG2) as well as upon the administration of Doxorubicin (Dox), an active cytotoxic agent that is employed in chemotherapy. The exposure of MCF-7 cells to the drug increased TG2 levels, triggering epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), thereby supporting cell motility. The effects of Dox on the movement of MCF-7 cells were counteracted by treatment with NC9, a TG2 inhibitor, which induced morphological changes and also reduced the migration of MDA-MB-231 cells exhibiting high levels of TG2. The physical association of TG2 with the cytoskeletal component vimentin appeared pivotal both in drug-treated MCF-7 and in MDA-MB-231 cells and seemed to be independent of the catalytic activity of TG2. NC9 altered the subcellular distribution of TG2 and, consequently, the co-localization of TG2 with vimentin. Furthermore, NC9 induced a nuclear accumulation of TG2 as a prelude to TG2-dependent gene expression modifications. Since enzyme activity can affect both motility and nuclear functions, targeting of this protein could represent a method to improve therapeutic interventions in breast tumors, particularly those to control progression and to limit drug resistance.
我们研究了乳腺癌细胞系的运动能力与 Transglutaminase type 2(TG2)的表达之间的关系,以及在阿霉素(Dox)给药时的关系,阿霉素是一种用于化疗的有效细胞毒性药物。MCF-7 细胞暴露于该药物会增加 TG2 水平,引发上皮-间充质转化(EMT),从而支持细胞运动。NC9,一种 TG2 抑制剂,可逆转 Dox 对 MCF-7 细胞运动的影响,诱导形态变化,并减少高表达 TG2 的 MDA-MB-231 细胞的迁移。TG2 与细胞骨架成分波形蛋白的物理结合在药物处理的 MCF-7 和 MDA-MB-231 细胞中似乎都是至关重要的,并且似乎独立于 TG2 的催化活性。NC9 改变了 TG2 的亚细胞分布,从而改变了 TG2 与波形蛋白的共定位。此外,NC9 诱导 TG2 的核积累,作为 TG2 依赖性基因表达修饰的前奏。由于酶活性可以影响运动能力和核功能,因此靶向这种蛋白质可能是改善乳腺癌肿瘤治疗干预的一种方法,特别是控制进展和限制耐药性的方法。