Molecular and Cellular Biology, January 2006, p. 727-734, Vol. 26, No. 2
0270-7306/06/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/MCB.26.2.727-734.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Institut Curie, Inserm U528, Transduction Networks Analysis Group, Paris, France,1 Department of Cell Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas,2 CNRS UMR144, Institut Curie, Paris, France3
Received 24 April 2005/ Returned for modification 16 May 2005/ Accepted 21 October 2005
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Perhaps related to their role(s) in tumor metastasis, Ral GTPases have been functionally implicated in the regulation of cell motility (2, 10, 20, 30). However, the mechanistic basis of this contribution is unknown. Ral has two well-documented effectors; RLIP76/RalBP1, a Rac/CDC42 Gap that presumably participates in the functional assembly of endocytosis machinery (13, 19), and the Sec6/8 or exocyst complex, which facilitates regulated exocytosis to regions of rapid membrane expansion (5, 17, 18, 23, 29).
To define the mechanistic contribution of Ral GTPases to cell motility and migration, we have employed small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated loss-of-function analysis to directly evaluate the relative contribution of RalA, RalB, and Ral effector pathways to support of this system. Neither RalA nor the RLIP76/RalBP1 effector pathway is limiting for cell motility. In contrast, RalB and the exocyst are both required. Depletion of either RalB or any of several exocyst subunits abolishes cell migration into a wounded monolayer or across a porous membrane. The mechanistic connection between RalB and exocyst function in this biological system is highlighted by the observation that RalB expression is required both to stabilize the assembly of the full heteroocomeric exocyst complex and to localize functional exocyst complexes to the leading edge of migrating cells.
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Boyden chamber assay. The Boyden chamber assay was performed using transwell chambers with 8-µm-pore-size membranes (Biocat Cell Culture Inserts; Becton Dickinson). The chambers were inserted into 24-well culture plates containing culture medium with either with 0.5% or 10% serum. The cells (10 x 104) were loaded into the upper compartments of the Boyden chambers. Nonmigrated cells were removed with a cotton swab, and migrating cells were fixed and stained with 0.2% crystal violet in 20% ethanol for 30 min. Cells were lysed with 30% acetic acid, and absorbance was measured at 540 nm. The intensity of the color was directly proportional to the density of cells.
Immunofluorescence.
Classic methods were used with cells being fixed in 3% paraformaldehyde, permeabilized in 1% Triton X-100, and mounted using Mowiol. Primary antibodies were obtained from Stressgen (Sec6), Transduction Laboratory (Sec8), Cell Signaling (phospho-extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 [ERK1/2]) and UBI (ERK1/2), Molecular Probes (Cy3- or fluorescein isothiocyanate [FITC]-coupled phalloidin), and Sigma (
-tubulin). Secondary antibodies were from Jackson Laboratories and were coupled to FITC, Cy3, or Cy5. Anti-Sec5 sera were generated by immunization of rabbits with the Ral-binding domain of Sec5 fused to gluthathione S-transferase (25). Polyclonal antibodies against Sec10 were generated against a synthetic peptide derived from human Sec10 (positions 6 to 20) (25)
Biochemistry, immunoprecipitation, and immunodetection. For whole-cell extracts, cells were lysed directly on plates in hot Laemmli buffer. For immunoprecipitation, cells were lysed in 20 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.4), 100 mM NaCl, 1 mM MgCl2, 0.1 mM dithiothreitol, 1% Triton X-100, and 10% glycerol; antibodies were used at the concentrations recommended by suppliers for immunoprecipitation or for immunodetection on membranes. Proteins were visualized on membranes with a chemoluminescent detection system (ECL; Amersham). Quantifications were performed using the Las-1000plus Luminescent Image analyzer (Fuji) and Image Gauge software.
For "scratch tests," NRK cells were brought to confluence and scratched orthogonally at least 20 times with a p20-200 yellow tip. Cells were either further incubated for 1 or 3 h or harvested immediately. Preparation of cell extracts and the Ral trap experiments were performed according to published procedures (34). Leupeptin was from Sigma, MG132 was from Calbiochem, and concanamycin B was a gift from P. Benaroch.
siRNAs. siRNAs were transfected at 160 nM with Oligofectamine (Invitrogen) (8). SiRNA were ordered from Dharmacon, except those targeting Sec10 and Sec8 (Proligo). Target sequences were GUAGAGAGGACCAUGAUGU (RLIP76), GAGACAACUACUUCCGAAG (RalA+B), GGUUUCUGUAGAAGAGGCA (RalA), UGACGAGUUUGUAGAAGAC (RalB-2), ACGUGGACAAGGUGUUCUU (RalB-1), CGGCAGAAUGGAUGUCUGC (Sec5-1), GGUCGGAAAGACAAGGCAGAU (Sec5-2), CUGGAGGCAGAGCAUCAACAC (Sec6), ACAGUGUCCUCUUCGAGAG (Sec8), and UGAGUUUCUAGAUGGAGAA (Sec10).
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FIG. 1. siRNA specificity and efficiency in NRK cells. NRK cells were transfected with the indicated siRNAs. After 48 h, whole-cell extracts were analyzed by immunoblotting with the indicated antibodies. ERK1/2 is shown as a loading control.
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FIG. 2. RalB is required for cell migration. (A) RalB depletion inhibits wound healing. Confluent monolayers of NRK cells transfected with the indicated siRNA were wounded 36 h posttransfection (T0), and healing was followed over time. T12 and T24 refer to 12 and 24 h postwounding. The panels shown are representative of three independent experiments. (B) Quantitative cell migration assays. NRK cells were transfected as above with the indicated siRNAs. At 48 h posttransfection, cells were delivered to Boyden chambers containing 10% (left) or 0.5% (right) serum. After 20 h, the cultures were fixed and cell migration was assessed by crystal violet staining as described in Materials and Methods. Error bars represent standard deviations from the mean from three independent experiments. Statistically significant differences are indicated by an asterisk (P < 0.05).
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TABLE 1. Velocity and persistence of migrating NRK cellsa
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FIG. 3. The exocyst is required for cell migration. (A) Depletion of exocyst subunits inhibits wound healing. Confluent monolayers of NRK cells transfected with the indicated siRNA were wounded (T0), and healing was followed over time as described in the legend to Fig. 2A. Panels shown are representative of three independent experiments. (B) Quantitative cell migration assays. Following transfection with the control siRNAs (left columns) or siRNA depleting Sec5 (middle columns), or RLIP76 (right columns), NRK cell migration in Boyden chambers was assayed as described in the legend to Fig. 2B.
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FIG. 4. RalB is activated upon release of cell-cell contacts and forms a complex with Sec5. (A) Exponentially growing NRK cells were transfected with myc-tagged RalB or myc-tagged-RalA. Forty-eight hours later, confluent monolayers were scratched extensively to generate a large number of cell edges no longer involved in cell-cell contacts. Cell extracts were prepared either immediately (for simplicity, they are labeled I, for immobile) or 1 h later (M, migrating) and assayed for relative amounts of activated RalA and RalB with immobilized gluthathione S-Sepharose-Ral-binding domain (34). (B) Myc-RalB was immunoprecipitated from the same cell extracts derived in the experiment shown in panel A and evaluated for coprecipitation of endogenous Sec5.
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To examine if cell migratory cues impact the stability of the exocyst complex, a monolayer of confluent NRK cells was extensively scratched to maximize the number of "free edges" where cell-cell contacts were released. Given that Sec5 and Sec8 are found in the same membrane fraction in resting cells while Sec10 is in another (18), we examined the consequences of cell migration on Sec8/Sec5 and Sec8/Sec10 complex assembly. As shown in Fig. 5 and consistent with expectations from the results of Moskalenko et al. (17, 18), Sec8/Sec5 complex formation was unaffected by conditions promoting cell migration, while Sec8/Sec10 complex formation was enhanced.
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FIG. 5. Migration triggers RalB-dependent stabilization of the exocyst complex. (A) Migration promotes the exocyst assembly. Monolayers of NRK cells were scratched to liberate cell edges as shown in Fig. 4. Endogenous Sec8 was immunoprecipitated from cell extracts prepared immediately (I, for immobile) or 3 h after wounding (M, migrating) and assessed for coprecipitation of endogenous Sec5 and Sec10. A representative experiment of three independent experiments is shown. (B) The amount of Sec10 and Sec5 recovered in the immunoprecipitates was quantified with a Luminescent Image analyzer and normalized for the amount of Sec8. Each experiment was repeated three times. The amount of Sec5 and Sec10 associated with Sec8 in immobile cells is defined as 100%. (C) Migration-induced exocyst assembly is RalB dependent. NRK cells were transfected with control siRNAs (targeting luciferase; siLuc), or siRNA against RalA or RalB (siRalA or siRalB), and exocyst assembly was evaluated as in described in the legend to panel A. (D) Quantitative analysis of exocyst assembly was performed as described for panel B. The amount of Sec5 and Sec10 associated with Sec8 in siLuc-transfected cells is defined as 100%. (E) Exocyst complex components were immunodetected in lysates of cells depleted of RalA or RalB by siRNA. siLuc was used as a siRNA control. Actin was used as a loading control.
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RalB recruits the exocyst to the leading edge of migrating cells. Motile cells develop a region of rapid plasma membrane expansion (leading edge) oriented toward the direction of movement. We examined the distribution of the exocyst in motile cells using monoclonal antibodies that recognize endogenous Exo70 and Sec6. As shown in Fig. 6A and B, Exo70 and Sec6 were enriched at the leading edges of plasma membranes free of cell-cell contacts at the forefront of motile cells. These proteins were not detected on plasma membranes bordering adjacent cells. In all cells, Exo70 and Sec6 were also detected on perinuclear in vesicular structures. Neither Rab6 nor the transferrin receptor displayed enrichment on the leading edge of motile cells, suggesting the localization pattern observed for Exo70 and Sec6 is not an artifact of membrane ruffling. By 3 h, the clusters of Exo70- and Sec6-positive perinuclear vesicles were oriented toward the wound in the first row of cells. Endogenous Sec10 was also enriched at the plasma membrane facing the wound (data not shown).
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FIG. 6. RalB recruits Sec6 and Exo70 to the leading edge of motile cells. Monolayers of NRK cells were wounded 36 h posttransfection with the indicated siRNAs. Cells were fixed 3 h after wounding, and the indicated proteins were detected with specific antibodies. F-actin was visualized with FITC-conjugated phalloidin. Exo70 (A) and Sec6 (B) can be observed recruited at the leading edge, as opposed to two other proteins resident on membranes, Rab6 and the transferring receptor (C). Arrowheads indicate enrichment of Exo70 or Sec6 at the leading edge of the plasma membrane.
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Brefeldin A (BFA)-induced disruption of the Golgi apparatus inhibits migration, presumably as a consequence of blocking resupply of secretory vesicles (1). Given that the exocyst has been observed on both the Golgi apparatus and the plasma membrane (35), we examined the consequences of BFA exposure on Exo70 recruitment to the leading edge. Under conditions where BFA clearly blocked cells migration, Exo70 was still recruited to the leading edge of cells bordering a monolayer wound (Fig. 7). This observation suggests that the capacity of RalB to recruit the exocyst is independent of an intact Golgi apparatus and is consistent with the proposed involvement of the exocyst with regulation of vesicle recycling (14, 25).
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FIG. 7. Golgi disruption blocks migration but not Exocyst recruitment. (A) NRK cells were wounded in the presence of increasing concentrations of brefeldin A, and the consequences on cell migration were monitored as described in the legend to Fig. 2. Experiments were performed on collagen where migration was faster than on plastic to avoid extended exposure to BFA. (B) Cells were treated as in described for panel A. Three hours postwounding, cells were fixed and stained with the indicated antibodies.
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Distinct roles for RalA and RalB in cell migration. siRNA-mediated depletion of RalA and RalB revealed that only the latter is a limiting factor for cells to maintain the capacity to migrate. To our surprise, depletion of RalA restored the loss of motility observed upon depletion of RalB. In this experiment, depletion of both GTPases together was as efficient as depletion of either alone, suggesting that reversing sensitivity to RalB siRNAs by RalA depletion is not simply a consequence of saturation of the RISC or other RNAi machinery. Suppression of RalB sensitivity in cells upon RalA depletion has also been observed in the context of cancer cell survival (7), as well as cancer cell migration (22). However, it remains to be determined if the mechanistic contribution of RalB to cell migration overlaps with its role in supporting cancer cell survival.
The exocyst is the RalB effector complex supporting cell migration. Ral GTPases have been implicated in vesicle trafficking both in the context of endocytosis through the effector RLIP76/RalBP1 and in the context of exocytosis through the effectors Sec5 and Exo84. We have shown here that RLIP76/RalBP1 is apparently dispensable, while the exocyst is a key component immediately downstream of RalB required for cell migration. The exocyst is thought to direct targeting and tethering of subclasses of secretory vesicles to their sites of fusion with the plasma membrane; it is required, together with Ral proteins, for the asymmetric localization of plasma membrane proteins in polarized cells (17), for receptor trafficking at the postsynaptic membrane (26), and for the extension of filopods on neuronal growth cones (12).
The immunofluorescence localization analysis of the exocyst in resting versus motile cells in this study reveals that the exocyst complex is dynamically recruited to plasma membrane subdomains that have been specified for rapid expansion and that this recruitment correlates with RalB activation and requires RalB expression. In cells organized in a monolayer, the exocyst subunits Sec6 and Exo70 were primarily asymmetrically localized in the perinuclear region and enriched in the vicinity of the Golgi. In motile cells, Sec6 and Exo70 were enriched at the leading edge of the "free" plasma membrane, as opposed to membrane engaged in cell-cell contacts. This "motility-induced" alteration in exocyst localization was dependent on RalB but not on RalA. The regulated subcellular recruitment of the exocyst we observe is consistent with its presence on other dynamic membranes, such as tumor necrosis factor alpha- or interleukin-1-induced filopods (29), and the leading edge of migrating osteoblasts (24).
The current "Ral-exocyst paradigm" (18) suggests that the exocyst is in equilibrium between hemicomplexes containing discrete subunits versus the octameric holocomplex. We find that this equilibrium is shifted toward the holocomplex in migrating cells and that this shift is RalB dependent. It remains to be determined if the contribution of RalB to exocyst localization and assembly is a consequence of a single or multiple RalB-dependent regulatory interactions.
Ral GTPases have been implicated in a variety of biological systems that may be expected to impact cell motility, including filamin-dependent modulation of the actin cytoskeleton (21, 27) and exocyst-dependent microtubule polymerization (32). In the system employed here, we did not detect any contribution of RalA or RalB to global actin cytoskeletal architecture or maintenance of the microtubule network (data not shown), suggesting that such perturbations are not likely to mediate the sensitivity of cell migration to RalB expression. In addition, serum-dependent ERK1/2 activation is unaffected by RalB depletion, reflecting intact receptor-mediated signal transduction cascades (data not shown). Finally, consistent with previous evaluation of the consequences RalB depletion in matrix-attached nontransformed cells (7), we observed no cell toxicity or inhibition of proliferation during the course of the experiments reported here. Taken together, these observations support the hypothesis that impaired migration upon RalB or exocyst depletion is due to an intrinsic contribution of the exocyst to cell motility, rather than to a global perturbation of cell homeostasis.
Concluding remarks. Cell migration requires de novo plasma membrane addition at the leading edge, and a driving role for vesicle trafficking in directional cell motility has been suggested (4). The observations described here help establish a mechanistic framework for the regulation of dynamic membrane expansion in motile cells. We propose that, upon local activation by the release of plasma membranes from cell-cell contacts, RalB acts to specify and constrain vesicle trafficking for directional cell movement through mobilization of the exocyst. This task is likely coordinated with the Rab-dependent and SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein attachment protein receptor)-dependent machinery contributing to secretory vesicle dynamics, as well as other (macro)molecular machines involved in cell migration such as the protein kinase C zeta/Par3/Par6 complex. Potential molecular links between the exocyst and these systems are currently under investigation.
This conclusion does not exclude other eventually unidentified effectors of Ral as actors of migration but shows that the exocyst complex is definitively required.
We are grateful to S. Hsu for providing anti-Exo70 monoclonal antibodies and to L. Feig, C. Marshall, P. Frankel, L. Quilliam, and M. Katan for reagents used during this work. We thank Dominique Morineau for his expert artwork, Chloé Camonis for film editing, and Nathalie Brandon, Marie Bourgeois, and Carole Gomez for skillful technical help. Fanny Momboisse was an efficient intern during the course of this work. We are very indebted to Franck Perez for stimulating discussions and suggestions, as well as to Jean de Gunzburg and to Julie Plastino for critical reading of the manuscript.
Supplemental material for this article may be found at http://mcb.asm.org/. ![]()
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