Abstract P6-06-03: Caveolin-1: A potential mediator of RhoC GTPase driven Inflammatory breast cancer cell invasion.
Authors: Joglekar M , van Golen K 
Published: August 2014

The proposed study focuses on Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC), which is one of the most aggressive forms of locally advanced breast cancer. IBC is an understudied disease in terms of identifying various molecular entities that could potentially be responsible for the aggressiveness of this disease. Recent advancements reveal that IBC has a unique molecular profile when compared with non-IBC. Caveolin-1 is found to have opposite expression pattern in IBC versus non-IBC. Our lab has shown that Caveolin-1 is found to be over-expressed in IBC whereas in non-IBC its expression is much reduced compared to normal mammary epithelial cells.

Caveolin-1 is known to be associated with specialized lipid rafts in the plasma membrane called ‘caveolae’. ‘Caveolin scaffolding domain (CSD)’ from amino acids 82–101 concentrates variety of signaling molecules such as growth factor receptors, protein kinases, heterotrimeric G proteins and Rho GTPases. Thus it is known as a potential regulator of many signaling pathways. Rho GTPases are members of the Ras superfamily of small GTP binding proteins involved in cytoskeletal rearrangements during cell motility and invasion. Our lab has previously shown that RhoC GTPase is over expressed in IBC and that exogenous expression of RhoC GTPase produces motile and invasive phenotype in human mammary epithelial cells (HMECs) similar to SUM149 IBC cells. Thus the overall objective of this study is to determine if caveolin-1 over expression mediates the RhoC GTPase driven invasive phenotype of IBC via its scaffolding action.

The first objective of this study is to elucidate the effect of caveolin-1 over expression on SUM149 IBC cell invasion. This was done by down regulating caveolin-1 to a level that is comparable to human mammary epithelial cells (HMECs) by using si caveolin-1. With the same si caveolin-1 or exogenous CSD synthetic peptide, we performed Matrigel invasion assays followed by cell viability and proliferation assay. Si caveolin-1 did not produce significant changes in cell viability over the period of four days as well as in Ki-67 staining which was used as a proliferation marker. Caveolin-1 down regulation reduced cell invasion by 90% compared to untreated cells. Similarly, exogenous CSD synthetic peptide treatment reduced SUM149 cell invasion significantly. In order to understand caveolin-1 localization in SUM149 cells, we performed immuno gold labeling of caveolin-1 by transmission electron microscopy as well as sucrose gradient centrifugation. Both these methods showed distinct pool of cytoplasmic caveolin-1 in addition to plasma membrane associated caveolin-1. Co-localization of caveolin-1 and RhoC GTPase was studied by co-transfecting cells with GFP-caveolin-1 and RFP-RhoC GTPase.

Thus, this data suggests potential role of caveolin-1 over expression in regulating IBC cell invasion. Due to its ability to concentrate variety of signaling molecules, caveolin-1 could act as a principle regulator of several downstream events that make cells motile and invasive through RhoC GTPase activation. Thus studying caveolin-1 localization and effect of its regulation on the signaling pathways could help understand the important molecular mechanisms in IBC.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2012;72(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-06-03.