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Molecular and Cellular Biology, January 2002, p. 257-269, Vol. 22, No. 1
0270-7306/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/MCB.22.1.257-269.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
The Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, Cancer Research Campaign Beatson Laboratories, Glasgow G61 1BD,1 Institute of Biological and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, Scotland, United Kingdom,4 Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Walther Oncology Center, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana,2 Cancer Research Laboratories, Department of Biochemistry, Queens University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada3
Received 3 May 2001/ Returned for modification 2 July 2001/ Accepted 2 October 2001
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The calpains represent a highly conserved family of nonlysosomal calcium-dependent cysteine proteases comprising two ubiquitously expressed isoforms, µ-calpain (calpain I) and m-calpain (calpain II), several tissue-specific isoforms, and a small 28-kDa regulatory subunit (calpain 4) (16, 55). Several in vitro studies demonstrate that calpain can be activated by high calcium concentrations. However, the regulation of calpain activity in vivo is less clear because the calcium concentrations required to activate calpain in vitro are significantly higher than physiological levels within cells (28).
The endogenous inhibitor of calpain activity, calpastatin, tightly regulates calpain activity in vivo. Calpastatin is a highly specific inhibitor of calpains and to date has not been demonstrated to inhibit the activity of members of any other protease family (42). Calpastatin is ubiquitously expressed and is translated as several isoforms, including a 110-kDa tissue type and a 70-kDa erythrocyte type (36, 59). The intracellular levels of calpain relative to calpastatin vary between tissues, but generally calpastatin is found at much higher levels than the calpains (9). In addition, each calpastatin molecule can potentially inhibit several calpain molecules (16, 29). Calpain and calpastatin are predominantly cytosolic proteins, indicating that calpain must somehow escape the inhibitory control of calpastatin to become fully activated. It has been suggested that subcellular compartmentalization of either calpain or calpastatin may regulate calpain activity within cells (35, 60). Modulation of the balance between protein levels of calpain relative to calpastatin could also represent a mechanism for regulating calpain activity. In this regard, degradation of calpastatin has been associated with increased calpain activity in a number of in vitro and in vivo scenarios (9, 56).
The wide substrate specificity of the calpain proteolytic family most likely accounts for proposed roles for calpain in diverse cellular processes, ranging from apoptosis to cell motility and cell cycle progression. Previous studies indicate that calpain can regulate cell cycle progression at distinct points through modulating the protein levels of several cell cycle regulators, such as the tumor suppressor proteins p53, p107, and NF2 (26, 32, 34). In addition, cyclin D1 and the cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) inhibitor p27kip1 are both calpain substrates and so may represent other pathways by which calpain can regulate cell cycle progression (15, 49).
In this study we investigated the mechanism by which v-Src may promote calpain activity during cell transformation and how elevated calpain activity contributes to transformation. Using a conditional, temperature-sensitive v-Src mutant (ts LA29 v-Src), we were able to examine both the kinetics of calpain regulation following v-Src activation and the consequences that deregulated calpain activity has on the v-Src-transformed cell phenotype. Here we describe a positive feedback loop whereby activation of v-Src promotes increased synthesis of calpain II, which in turn promotes degradation of the endogenous calpain inhibitor calpastatin, thereby further enhancing calpain activity in v-Src-transformed cells. Replenishing levels of calpastatin by overexpression of an exogenous calpastatin construct suppressed calpain-mediated cleavage of FAK, focal adhesion disruption, morphological transformation, and anchorage-independent growth that normally accompany v-Src transformation. Futhermore, we demonstrate that v-Src-induced morphological transformation is less efficient in calpain 4 (regulatory domain) knockout (KO) fibroblasts. In addition, calpastatin overexpression impaired the progression of v-Src-transformed cells through the G1 stage of the cell cycle. Calpastatin impairment of cell cycle progression correlated with decreased phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma gene product (pRb) and reduced cyclin A, cyclin D, and cdk2 protein levels. Thus, modulation of the calpain-calpastatin proteolytic system in response to v-Src activation contributes not only to v-Src-induced morphological transformation but also to v-Src-induced cell cycle progression.
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K-Ras-transformed Rat-1 fibroblasts, v-FosFBR-transformed 208F fibroblasts, and parental controls were cultured in 1x Dulbeccos modified Eagles medium supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum and 2 mM l-glutamine. v-Jun (RSV17)- and v-Myc (MC29)-transformed CEF and parental cells were cultured under normal CEF culture conditions as previously described (21).
Antibodies and reagents. Analysis of protein stability in both nontransformed and transformed cells was performed using the protein synthesis inhibitor emetine (10 µM) (Sigma). Calpain inhibitor studies were performed using calpain inhibitor 1 (ALLN) and calpain inhibitor 2 (ALLM) (Calbiochem-Novabiochem Corp.). CEF were preincubated with ALLN or ALLM (50 to 100 µM) for 1 h prior to shift to 35°C and were then subsequently incubated at 35°C in the presence of each inhibitor. Antibodies for Western blot detection and immunocytochemistry included calpain II and calpastatin (Research Diagnostics, Inc.), 2-18N pp125FAK, 903-1058C pp125FAK (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc.), 354-534N pp125FAK, paxillin (Transduction Laboratories), p27kip1 (Oncogene), cyclin A (developed at the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research), cyclin D (Pharmingen), and pRb and cdk2 (both from Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc.). Anti-mouse and -rabbit peroxidase-conjugated secondary antibodies were purchased from New England Biolabs, Inc.
Immunoblotting. Cells were washed twice with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and lysed in low-detergent lysis buffer (10 mM Tris, pH 7.4, 150 mM NaCl, 0.5% NP-40, 1 mM EDTA, 1 mM EGTA, 1 mM dithiothreitol, 0.5 mM NaF, 10 mM ß-glycerophosphate, 10 mM Na4P2O7, and 100 µM NaVO4 with the protease inhibitors 1 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, 10 µg of leupeptin/ml, and 10 µg of aprotinin/ml). Lysates were clarified by high-speed centrifugation at 4°C, supplemented with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-sample buffer, separated by SDS-10% polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and transferred to a nitrocellulose membrane. Following blocking in 5% milk, membranes were incubated with primary antibody, washed, and incubated with secondary antibody linked to horseradish peroxidase. Protein was detected by enhanced chemiluminescence (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech UK Ltd.). Analysis of pRb phosphorylation was performed by running cell lysates on an SDS-7.5% polyacrylamide gel containing a ratio of acrylamide to bisacrylamide of 30:0.24.
Northern blot analysis.
Total RNA was prepared from cells with TRIzol reagent (Life Technologies Ltd.) in accordance with the manufacturers instructions. Total RNA samples were separated on 1.5% agarose gels containing formaldehyde and were transferred to a nylon membrane (Hybond; Amersham Pharmacia) using standardized procedures. cDNA probes designed for hybridization to chicken calpain II, calpastatin, and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) were generated by reverse transcriptase PCR. All probes were radiolabeled with [
-32P]dCTP using the oligolabeling kit (Amersham Pharmacia).
Immunocytochemistry. Cells were cultured on permanox plastic chamber slides (Nalge Nunc International). Cells were fixed in 3.7% formaldehyde for 10 min at room temperature; permeabilized in 0.5% NP-40 in PBS for 10 min at room temperature; and washed serially in PBS, 0.15 M glycine-PBS + 0.02% NaN3, and PBS. Cells were blocked in 10% fetal calf serum-PBS prior to 1 h of incubation at room temperature with a primary antibody, affinity-purified monoclonal antipaxillin (Transduction Laboratories). Primary antibody incubation was followed by several washes in PBS and subsequent incubation with fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled secondary antibodies (Jackson Immunoresearch Laboratories). Cells were also incubated with fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled phalloidin (Sigma). Immunostaining of cells was analyzed by confocal microscopy.
Growth curves, cell cycle analysis, and anchorage-independent growth assays. The rate of cell growth was determined by counting the number of cells at sequential time points following plating of 2 x 105 cells per 60-mm-diameter dish. The cell number was quantified using a Coulter counter. For cell cycle analysis, cells were harvested, fixed in cold 70% ethanol for 2 h on ice, washed once with PBS, and resuspended in PBS containing 0.1% (vol/vol) Triton X-100, 20 mg of DNase-free RNase A (Transgenomic Inc.), and 2 mg of propidium iodide (Sigma). Cell cycle distribution was determined by measuring fluorescence by FACScan (Becton Dickinson) together with the ModFit LT software for Macintosh. Anchorage-independent growth assays were performed as previously described (24). Briefly, 60-mm-diameter bacterial culture dishes were coated with 0.5% base agar supplemented with normal CEF culture medium as described above. CEF expressing ts v-Src were preincubated with or without calpain inhibitor ALLN or ALLM (100 µM) for 3 h in suspension prior to the addition of an equal volume of top layer agar consisting of 0.6% agar, double-concentrated CEF growth medium, and ALLN or ALLM (100 µM) where required. CEF expressing ts v-Src in combination with calpastatin or empty vector and wild-type and calpain 4 KO MEF were also combined with top layer agar. Cell-agar preparations were added to base agar dishes at 2 x 105 cells per dish and were cultured at ts v-Src restrictive or permissive culture temperatures. Following several days in culture, top layer agar was overlaid with base agar supplemented with culture media with or without ALLN or ALLM (100 µM) where required. The formation of cell colonies was quantified as the number of colonies per high-power field.
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FIG. 1. Following activation of v-Src, increased protein levels of calpain II is coordinated with degradation of calpastatin. Total cell lysates were prepared from ts v-Src CEF cultured at the restrictive temperature (41°C) or at sequential time points following shift to the permissive temperature for v-Src activation (35°C). Cell lysates were separated by SDS-10% polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotted with antibodies specific for calpain II and calpastatin. kD, kilodaltons.
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FIG. 2. v-Src regulates calpain II at the level of protein synthesis and calpastatin at the level of protein stability. (A) Total RNA was extracted from ts v-Src CEF cultured at the restrictive temperature (41°C) or at sequential time points following shift to the permissive temperature (35°C). RNA samples were subjected to Northern blot analysis using cDNA probes specific for calpain II and calpastatin. RNA loading was monitored with a probe against GAPDH. (B) Total cell lysates were prepared from ts v-Src CEF at sequential time points following culture at 41°C or a shift to 35°C in the presence of protein synthesis inhibitor emetine (10 µM). Lysates were separated by SDS-10% polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotted with antibodies specific for calpain II, calpastatin, and the N-terminal region of FAK recognizing the 125-kDa (125kd) native protein and a 95-kDa N-terminal proteolytic fragment. T0, time zero.
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FIG. 3. Degradation of calpastatin induced in response to v-Src activation is mediated by calpain. (A) Total cell lysates were prepared from ts v-Src CEF cultured at the restrictive temperature (41°C) or at the permissive temperature (35°C) in the absence or presence of ALLN and ALLM (100 µM). (B) Total cell lysates were prepared from CEF coexpressing ts v-Src in combination with empty retroviral vector (SFCV) or SFCV encoding 110-kDa calpastatin* (SFCV+calpas.) (C) Total cell lysates were prepared from CEF coexpressing ts v-Src and calpastatin cultured at the restrictive temperature (41°C) and at sequential time points (in hours, along top of gels) following shift to the permissive temperature (35°C) in the absence or presence of ALLN. All cell lysates were separated by SDS-10% polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotted with an antibody specific for calpastatin. kD, kilodaltons.
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Overexpression of calpastatin results in impaired v-Src-induced proteolytic cleavage of FAK, focal adhesion disassembly, and morphological transformation. To specifically determine the impact that increased calpain activity may have during the process of v-Src-induced oncogenic transformation, we coexpressed ts LA29 v-Src protein in combination with 110-kDa calpastatin or vector alone as shown in Fig. 3B. We investigated whether replenishing functional calpastatin levels could counteract calpain-mediated cleavage of FAK induced following v-Src activation (12). As shown in Fig. 4A and B, calpastatin overexpression suppressed FAK cleavage to the typical 95-kDa N-terminal and 30-kDa C-terminal proteolytic fragments (Fig. 4A and B).
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FIG. 4. Overexpression of calpastatin inhibits v-Src-induced proteolytic cleavage of FAK and morphological transformation. CEF coexpressing ts v-Src in combination with cDNA from empty retroviral vector SFCV or from SFCV + calpastatin were cultured under v-Src-restrictive (41°C) and -permissive (35°C) culture conditions for 18 h. Total cell lysates were prepared, separated by SDS-10% polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and immunoblotted with antibodies against the N terminus of FAK (FAK-N) (A) or the C terminus of FAK (FAK-C) (B). (C) CEF coexpressing ts v-Src in combination with calpastatin (SFCV + calpastatin) or vector alone (SFCV) were cultured for 18 h at the permissive temperature (35°C) for v-Src activation. Cell morphology was evaluated by phase-contrast microscopy. Focal adhesion structures and the actin cytoskeleton were analyzed by immunocytochemistry utilizing an antipaxillin antibody and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled phalloidin, respectively. Bar, 25 µm.
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To determine whether calpain-mediated degradation of FAK is unique to Src-induced transformation, we examined FAK cleavage in v-Jun- and v-Myc-transformed CEF and K-Ras-transformed Rat-1 and v-Fos-transformed 208F' fibroblasts (Fig. 5A). Interestingly transformation induced by the oncoproteins v-Myc, K-Ras, and v-Fos but not by v-Jun was accompanied by proteolytic cleavage of FAK. However, in contrast to v-Src-induced transformation (12), proteolytic cleavage of FAK in v-Myc-, K-Ras-, and v-Fos-transformed cells did not result in a significant decrease in levels of native FAK protein (Fig. 5A). Also in contrast to v-Src transformation, treatment with ALLN did not cause the morphology of v-Myc-, K-Ras-, v-Fos-, or v-Jun-transformed cells to revert to a normal phenotype (Table 1) (Fig. 5B, see v-Fos).
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FIG. 5. Proteolytic cleavage of FAK in v-Myc-, v-Fos-, K-Ras-, and v-Jun-transformed cells. (A) Total cell lysates were prepared from v-Jun- and v-Myc-transformed CEF, K-Ras-transformed Rat-1 fibroblasts, and v-Fos- transformed 208F' fibroblasts. Lysates from transformed cells and their parental counterparts were separated by SDS-10% polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and imunoblotted with antibodies against 354-534N-terminal residues of FAK. (B) v-Src-transformed CEF and v-Fos-transformed 208F' fibroblasts were treated with ALLN (50 µM); cell morphology was evaluated by phase-contrast microscopy.
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TABLE 1. Effect that calpain inhibition has on morphological transformation induced by various oncoproteinsa
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FIG. 6. Calpain 4 KO cells exhibit impaired v-Src-induced morphological transformation. Wild-type (calpain+/+) (A) and calpain 4 KO (calpain-/-) (B) MEF were transfected with transforming (ts LA29) and defective (ts LA29A2) v-Src constructs. Cell morphology and focal adhesion structures were evaluated in cell populations stably expressing v-src constructs by phase-contrast microscopy and immunocytochemistry utilizing antipaxillin antibody. Bar, 25 µm.
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FIG. 7. Inhibition of calpain activity by treatment with cell-permeable calpain inhibitors or calpastatin overexpression impairs proliferation and progression of Src-transformed cells through the G1 stage of the cell cycle. (A) Growth curves were prepared for ts LA29 v-Src CEF cultured at 35°C in the absence or presence of ALLN or ALLM (50 µM). (B) Growth curves were prepared for ts LA29 v-Src CEF coexpressing calpastatin (SFCV/CALPAS) or empty retroviral vector (SFCV) cultured at 35°C. Flow cytometry analysis was performed on propidium iodide-stained cells to compare the distribution between G1 and S phase stages of the cell cycle in ts LA29 v-Src CEF cultured at 35°C in the absence or presence of ALLN or ALLM (50 µM) (C) or ts LA29 v-Src CEF cultured at 35°C coexpressing either calpastatin (SFCV/+calpastatin) or empty retroviral vector (SFCV) (D).
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Calpain promotes progression of v-Src-transformed cells through G1 stage of the cell cycle in parallel with hyperphosphorylation of pRb and increased cyclin A, cyclin D, and cdk2 levels. To gain insights into the mechanism by which calpain activity may influence cell cycle progression following v-Src activation, we analyzed the protein expression levels of several regulators of G1 stage progression in substrate-attached CEF. Our results demonstrate that in response to v-Src activation at 35°C, the tumor suppressor protein pRb became hyperphosphorylated (Fig. 8). Protein levels of cyclin A, cyclin D, and cdk2 are also all increased in v-Src-transformed fibroblasts (Fig. 8). Activation of v-Src in the presence of ALLN (100 µM) resulted in hypophosphorylation of pRb, with complete loss of the hyperphosphorylated form. Protein levels and phosphorylation status of other Rb family members, p107 and p130, were not significantly altered upon treatment of v-Src-transforming cells with the calpain inhibitor (results not shown). Treatment with the calpain inhibitor also repressed v-Src-induced elevation of cyclin A and cdk2 levels (Fig. 8) but did not modulate levels of cyclin A, cyclin D, or cdk2 in normal CEF (results not shown). Overexpression of calpastatin also suppressed the hyperphosphorylation of pRb and increase in cyclin A, cyclin D, and cdk2 levels normally observed following v-Src activation (Fig. 8). In contrast, exposure to the cell-permeable ALLN or calpastatin overexpression had no effect on levels of the cdk inhibitor p27kip1 (Fig. 8).
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FIG. 8. Inhibition of calpain activity with cell-permeable calpain inhibitors or calpastatin overexpression antagonizes v-Src-induced hyperphosphorylation of pRb and elevation of cyclin D, cyclin A, and cdk2 protein levels. Total cell lysates were prepared from ts v-Src CEF cultured at the v-Src restrictive temperature (41°C) and the permissive temperatures (35°C) in the absence or presence of ALLN (100 µM). Total cell lysates were also prepared from CEF coexpressing ts v-Src and calpastatin (SFCV + calpastatin) or empty retroviral vector (SFCV) cultured at 41 or 35°C. Cell lysates were separated by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotted with antibodies against pRb, cyclin D, cdk2, p27, and cyclin A.
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FIG. 9. Calpastatin overexpression, treatment with calpain inhibitors, or loss of calpain 4 gene expression in KO cells suppresses anchorage-independent cell growth. ts LA29v-Src CEF were cultured in soft agar at 41 or 35oC with and without pretreatment with ALLN or ALLM (100 µM). ts LA29 v-Src CEF coexpressing either calpastatin (SFCV+calpastatin) or empty retroviral vector (SFCV) were cultured in soft agar at 35°C. Wild-type (calpain+/+) and calpain 4 KO (calpain-/-) MEF expressing ts LA29 v-Src were also cultured in soft agar at 35°C. (A) Phase pictures illustrate colony formation 12 days following cell seeding. (B) Colony formation after 12 days was quantified by counting the number of colonies per high-power field (magnification, x25).
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In this study we have characterized a positive feedback loop mechanism that promotes calpain proteolytic activity during v-Src-induced oncogenic transformation. Under normal conditions the major calpain isozymes and the endogenous calpain inhibitor calpastatin have been reported to exist as relatively stable, long-lived proteins (4, 64). However, in response to particular stimuli, such as ischemic or reperfusion injury in vivo or elevation of intracellular calcium levels, in vitro calpastatin acts as a substrate for calpain-mediated degradation (9, 40, 44, 46, 56). In response to v-Src activation, we observe an increase in the total protein levels of calpain II in parallel with decreased levels of calpastatin. Analysis of mRNA levels and protein stability allows us to attribute this rise in calpain to increased protein translation in response to v-Src activation. We further demonstrate that the decrease in endogenous calpastatin is the result of calpain-mediated degradation. In addition, an exogenously expressed 110-kDa calpastatin isoform is also cleaved following v-Src activation, giving rise to a 35-kDa product that corresponds in size to a previously identified calpain-mediated cleavage product of the 110-kDa calpastatin isoform (56). Cleavage of both endogenous and exogenous calpastatin forms follows the same kinetics in response to v-Src activation and is blocked in both situations upon treatment with the cell-permeable ALLN. Thus, elevated protein synthesis of calpain can lead to degradation of its own inhibitor, calpastatin, thereby further enhancing calpain activity in v-Src-transformed cells (Fig. 10).
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FIG. 10. Proposed model describing a positive feedback loop mechanism of calpain activation induced by v-Src. Activation of v-Src promotes increased protein synthesis of calpain II. Increased calpain II protein levels overcome the inhibitory action of calpastatin and promote proteolytic degradation of calpastatin, thereby further enhancing calpain activity. Calpastatin relocates to the nucleus in response to v-Src activation (unpublished observations). Increased calpain activity in v-Src-transformed fibroblasts promotes proteolytic cleavage of FAK and subsequent disassembly of focal adhesion complexes, contributing to a loss of cell adhesion and increased cell motility. Enhanced calpain activity also promotes increased proliferation of v-Src-transformed cells. Calpain promotes the progression of transformed cells through the G1 stage of the cell cycle and is associated with hyperphosphorylation of pRb and increased protein levels of the cyclins D and A and cdk2.
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To determine whether proteolytic cleavage of FAK is unique to transformation induced by v-Src, we have studied FAK cleavage during transformation induced by other oncoproteins. Proteolytic cleavage of FAK can be detected in K-Ras-, v-Fos-, and v-Myc- but not v-Jun-transformed fibroblasts. The amount of FAK cleavage taking place during v-Src-induced transformation is much greater than that observed during transformation by the other oncoproteins analyzed in this study. In contrast to v-Src-induced transformation, treatment with ALLN did not cause the morphology of v-Myc-, v-Jun-, v-Fos-, or K-Ras-transformed cells to revert to a normal phenotype. Our results suggest that proteolytic cleavage of FAK may be a common feature of transformation induced by many oncogenes. However, the high degree of FAK cleavage taking place during v-Src-induced transformation combined with the inhibitory effects of ALLN suggests that calpain-mediated cleavage of FAK plays a critical role in morphological transformation induced specifically by v-Src.
To further confirm that calpain activity is a critical requirement for v-Src-induced transformation, we have overexpressed ts v-Src in calpain 4 KO and wild-type MEF. The calpain 4 gene product represents the small 28-kDa regulatory subunit that is required for the proteolytic activity of ubiquitously expressed calpain I and calpain II isoforms (1, 16). Recent studies indicate that calpain 4 KO cells exhibit impaired cell motility (N. Doourdin, A. Bhatt, P. A. Greer, J. S. C. Arthur, J. S. Elce, and A. Huttenlocher, Abstr. 40th Annu. Meet. Am. Soc. Cell Biol., 2000). Our studies reveal that v-Src-induced morphological transformation was significantly impaired in calpain 4 KO fibroblasts relative to wild-type MEF. Calpain 4 KO cells exhibited a reduced capacity to undergo v-Src-induced focal adhesion disassembly and cell rounding, relative to wild-type MEF expressing v-Src.
Previous studies have demonstrated that v-Src activation in Rat-1 fibroblasts accelerates progression through the G1 stage of the cell cycle and modulates the levels of cell cycle regulators, such as the cyclins E and A and the cdk inhibitor p27kip1 (27). Studies using pharmacological inhibitors have implicated calpain activity as playing a role in promoting cell proliferation (41, 53, 64). Many of the inhibitors used in these studies, however, cross-react with other proteases, such as the cathepsins and the ubiquitin-proteasome proteolytic pathway, which can influence the stability of numerous cell cycle regulators (47). As calpain 4 KO cells have been immortalized with retrovirus expressing SV40 large T antigen, it is likely that many of the typical signaling mechanisms that regulate cell proliferation are bypassed by the influence that large T antigen has upon cell cycle control proteins such as p53/p21 and pRb (18, 37). Indeed it has previously been reported that SV40 large T antigen can bypass a requirement for Src in promoting platelet-derived growth factor-induced cell proliferation (11). For these reasons we have not utilized calpain 4 KO cells to study the role that calpain plays in v-Src-induced modulation of cell cycle regulator proteins. In this study we have combined the use of calpain inhibitors with overexpression of the highly specific calpain inhibitor calpastatin to determine in detail the role that calpain may play in regulating cell cycle progression during v-Src-induced cell transformation.
Treatment with the cell-permeable ALLN and ALLM or overexpression of calpastatin induced a G1 stage growth arrest and suppressed the proliferation of both normal and v-Src-transformed cells. Following activation of ts v-Src in exponentially growing cells, we observed hyperphosphorylation of the tumor suppressor protein product of the retinoblastoma gene, pRb, and increased protein levels of cyclins A and D and cdk2. Upon treatment with ALLN or overexpression of calpastatin, the hyperphosphorylation of pRb typically observed in response to v-Src activation was either inhibited or suppressed. Similarly v-Src-induced elevation of cyclins A and D and cdk2 was also suppressed by the calpain inhibitors or calpastatin expression. Our data therefore demonstrate that calpain activity is required for normal cell cycle progression and proliferation of nontransformed cells. However, in response to v-Src activation, elevated calpain activity promotes hyperphosphorylation of pRb and increased levels of cyclins A and D and cdk2, thereby further contributing to v-Src-induced acceleration through the G1 cell cycle stage and enhanced proliferation of v-Src-transformed cells.
The mechanisms by which calpain regulates pRb phosphorylation and levels of cyclins A and D and cdk2 during v-Src transformation remain to be fully elucidated. We can speculate that calpastatin translocation into the nucleus of transformed cells (results not shown) may impair the normal turnover of nuclear calpain substrates such as cyclin D1, subsequently influencing cdk activity and phosphorylation of pRb (15, 38). Previous studies demonstrate that calpain can proteolytically cleave numerous transcription factors (2, 48, 50); therefore, it is possible that calpain may exert an indirect influence on cell cycle regulation by regulating the transcription of genes that are involved in cell cycle control.
A characteristic feature of cell transformation induced by oncoproteins, including v-Src, is the ability to confer anchorage-independent cell proliferation (33). In this study we demonstrate that treatment with cell-permeable calpain inhibitors or overexpression of calpastatin significantly impairs the ability of CEF expressing ts v-Src to grow under anchorage-independent culture conditions. In addition calpain 4 KO fibroblasts expressing activated ts v-Src also exhibit a defect in anchorage-independent growth compared with wild-type fibroblasts expressing ts v-Src. These studies indicate that regulation of calpain activity during v-Src-induced transformation exerts a broad influence on the cell cycle machinery, promoting progression through the G1 stage of the cell cycle and anchorage-independent growth.
In conclusion, we describe a positive feedback loop mechanism of calpain activation that is initiated in response to activation of the oncogene v-Src. This modulation of the calpain-calpastatin proteolytic system contributes significantly to the process of oncogenic transformation induced by v-Src. Our previous studies suggest that calpain activity promotes the migration of transformed cells (12), and in this study we demonstrate that calpain activity also promotes cell cycle progression and the proliferation of v-Src-transformed cells even when deprived of substrate attachment. Therefore, regulation of calpain activity appears to serve as a common link that mediates the influence that v-Src exerts on both cell migration and proliferation (Fig. 10). Two separate in vivo studies suggest a role for calpain activity in the metastases of renal cell carcinoma and an association with the development of some schwannomas and meningiomas (10, 32). Thus, manipulation of the calpain-calpastatin proteolytic system may represent a useful therapeutic approach for inhibition of oncogenic transformation, tumor growth, and invasion.
This work was supported by the Cancer Research Campaign, United Kingdom. D. Riley received support from the Association for International Cancer Research and The Sylvia Aitkin Trust. D. A. Potter received support from the Walther Oncology Institute, (Indianapolis, Ind.), the Walther Oncology Center at Indiana University, p30 DK34928 (GRASP Digestive Disease Research Center Grant), and a Life Span New Initiatives Grant. P. A. Greer received support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. J. S. Elce received support from the Canadian Heart and Stroke Institute.
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