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Molecular and Cellular Biology, September 2008, p. 5687-5697, Vol. 28, No. 18
0270-7306/08/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/MCB.00465-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Sergio E. Alvarez,1,
Sheldon Milstien,2 and
Sarah Spiegel1*
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia 23298,1 NIMH Intramural Research Program, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland 208922
Received 20 March 2008/ Returned for modification 25 April 2008/ Accepted 9 July 2008
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S1P formation is catalyzed by sphingosine kinase 1 and 2 (SphK1 and SphK2). Many of the external stimuli and growth factors that enhance cell movement stimulate cytosolic SphK1, producing S1P that is secreted and that acts in an autocrine or paracrine manner to activate S1P1 (17, 23). This "inside-out" signaling paradigm requires that SphK1 translocate to the plasma membrane, bringing it to the vicinity of its membrane-localized substrate sphingosine. The molecular mechanisms of SphK1 activation and/or translocation have not yet been completely elucidated. Several studies have suggested a role for calmodulin in SphK1 translocation (42, 44), while others have demonstrated the importance of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2)-mediated phosphorylation of Ser225 of SphK1 in translocation (33, 34), which may cause changes in its conformation, to expose a phosphatidylserine-binding domain (39). In addition to posttranslational modifications, several proteins that interact with SphK1 have been identified that appear to localize cytosolic SphK1 to intracellular membranes, including RPK118 (16), PECAM-1 (13), aminoacylase 1 (24), and
-catenin/NPRAP (12). However, none of these proteins has been shown to mediate the signal-induced translocation of SphK1 to the plasma membrane or to regulate the functions of SphK1 in motility. Here, we identify filamin A (FLNa), an actin binding protein that cross-links cortical actin filaments into dynamic three-dimensional actin webs at membrane ruffles (40) and acts as a scaffold protein that interacts with SphK1 and links it with S1P1 at lamellipodia to orchestrate cell migration. Moreover, we have found that it is the concerted actions of the triumvirate of SphK1, FLNa, and p21-activated kinase 1 (PAK1), each of which requires and/or regulates the actions of the others, that are essential for lamellipodia formation and cell movement.
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-32P]ATP (3,000 Ci/mmol) and L-[4,5-3H]leucine (150 Ci/mmol) were from Amersham Pharmacia Biotech (Piscataway, NJ). Recombinant human heregulin (Hrg) B1 was from Neomarkers (Fremont, CA). PAK, ERK2, and tubulin antibodies were from Santa Cruz Biotechnology (Santa Cruz, CA). FLNa (Ser 2152), PAK1/2 (Thr423/Thr402), and ERK1/2 (Thr202/Tyr204) phospho-specific antibodies were from Cell Signaling Technology (Beverly, MA). Mouse anti-FLNa was from Chemicon (Temecula, CA), rat monoclonal anti-hemagglutinin (HA) (clone 3F10) was from Roche (Rockford, IL), mouse anti-V5 antibody was from Invitrogen (Carlsbad, CA), and rabbit anti-V5 was from Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, MO). Rabbit polyclonal SphK1 antibodies were described previously (15). Secondary antibodies were from Jackson ImmunoResearch (horseradish peroxidase [HRP] conjugated; West Grove, PA) or Molecular Probes (fluorescently labeled; Eugene, OR). Control and SphK1-specific short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) (15) were obtained from Qiagen (Valencia, CA). All other reagents were from Sigma-Aldrich. Cell culture and transfection. Human embryonic kidney cells (HEK 293; ATCC CRL-1573) were cultured and transfected as previously described (2). M2 and A7 cells were maintained in minimal essential medium supplemented with 2% fetal and 8% newborn calf serum as described previously (29). A7 cell cultures were supplemented with 1 mg/ml G418. M2 and A7 cells were transfected with GeneJuice (EMD Biosciences, Gibbstown, NJ) for plasmids. For downregulation of SphK1, cells were plated in six-well plates at a density of 1.5 x 105 per well and were transfected with siRNA targeted to human SphK1 (5'-AAGGGCAAGGCCTTGCAGCTC-3'; Qiagen) and appropriate control siRNA, using Oligofectamine (Invitrogen) according to the manufacturer's instructions. In some experiments, to confirm the lack of off-target effects, cells were transfected with ON-TARGETplus SMARTpool siRNA targeting SphK1 (5'-CGACGAGGACUUUGUGCUA-3'; 5'-GAUGGGGAAUUGAUGGUUA-3'; 5'-GAAAUCUCCUUCACGCUGA-3'; and 5'-GGAAAGGUGUGUUUGCAGU-3') or control siRNA (Dharmacon, Lafayette, CO).
Two-hybrid screening and cloning of C-terminal FLNa. A two-hybrid screen was carried out using a MatchMaker II kit from Clontech (Mountain View, CA) exactly as described previously (24). A clone was obtained that corresponded to a C-terminal fragment of FLNa (Ct-FLNa; amino acids [aa] 2380 to 2647) that passed all tests as a valid two-hybrid interactor with full-length SphK1. Ct-FLNa was cut from the library vector with EcoRI and BamH1 and cloned into pcDNA3-HA.
Immunoblotting. Unless otherwise indicated, after various treatments, cells were washed with ice-cold phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and scraped into buffer containing 20 mM Tris (pH 7.4), 1 mM EDTA, 2 mM sodium orthovanadate, 4 mM sodium pyrophosphate, 100 mM NaF, and 1:500 protease inhibitor cocktail (Sigma-Aldrich). Lysates were prepared by subjecting cells to five to seven freeze-thaw cycles (HEK 293 cells) or by adding 1% Triton X-100 and incubating the cells for 30 min on ice (M2 and A7 cells), followed by centrifugation at 1,000 x g for 5 min to remove unbroken cells. Equal amounts of protein were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and transblotted to nitrocellulose. Blots were incubated with the indicated primary antibodies overnight, washed, and incubated with the appropriate HRP-conjugated secondary antibodies (at a 1:10,000 dilution; Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories). Immunocomplexes were visualized by enhanced chemiluminescence (Pierce Chemical Co., Rockford, IL) according to the manufacturer's instructions, with X-ray film or an Alpha Innotech FluorChem SP (San Leandro, CA) chemiluminescence imager.
Cell migration assay. Cell migration was measured in a modified Boyden chamber using polycarbonate filters (12-µm pores) from Poretics (Livermore, CA) essentially as described previously (15). Briefly, serum-starved cells were trypsinized and loaded into the upper well of the Boyden chamber (50,000 cells/well). The lower side of the separating filter was coated with 20 µg/ml fibronectin, and the lower chamber contained either serum-free medium or chemoattractants as indicated. Cells were permitted to migrate for 3 h, and nonmigrating cells were removed mechanically. Migrated cells were fixed, stained with DiffQuick, and counted using an 10x magnification objective. Each data point is the average number of cells in three random fields and is the mean ± standard deviation (SD) value of three individual wells.
Sphingosine kinase assay. Lysates were prepared, and SphK1 activity was measured as described previously (31), in the presence of 5 µM sphingosine and 0.25% Triton X-100.
Pulldown and immunoprecipitation assays. Ct-FLNa was transcribed and translated in vitro using a TnT kit (Promega, San Louis Obispo, CA) in the presence of L-[4,5-3H]leucine. The translation mixture was incubated with either glutathione S-transferase (GST) or GST-SphK1 (20) and then affinity purified using glutathione-Sepharose beads (Pierce). After they were washed extensively with SphK assay buffer containing 1% Triton X-100, proteins in the pellet were resolved by SDS-PAGE. Gels were then dried and exposed to X-ray film. For the pulldown assay of V5-His-SphK1, equal amounts of lysates were incubated with Ni-nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA)-agarose (Pierce) in lysis buffer containing 10 mM imidazole for 30 min at 4°C with constant agitation. Protein-bound Ni-NTA-agarose was recovered by centrifugation at 1,000 x g for 5 min and then washed with buffer containing 10 mM imidazole and 1 M NaCl.
Immunofluorescence. Cells cultured on coverslips were transfected, treated as indicated, and then fixed in 3% paraformaldehyde and stained (25). Briefly, fixation was quenched with 10 mM glycine in PBS and was followed by permeabilization with 0.5% Triton X-100. Coverslips were washed and incubated with Alexa 488 phalloidin or with primary antibodies for 30 min, followed by washing and a 30-min incubation with secondary antibodies. Coverslips were then washed and mounted on slides with 10 mM n-propylgallate in 100% glycerol. Images were collected with a Zeiss LSM 510 Meta confocal microscope with a 63x 1.4 numerical aperture Plan-Apochromat objective, with the optical thickness set to 1 µm for all channels. Single-fluorophore secondary controls were routinely negative for the other channels, and sequential scanning was used to ensure that there was no cross-talk between channels. All images were exported directly using Zeiss LSM Image Examiner (v. 3.2.0.70) software to 8-bit tagged image file format (TIFF) files without compression, contrast, or gamma adjustments.
In vitro PAK1 kinase assays.
PAK1 activity was measured with 10-ng recombinant PAK1, 1 µg of myelin basic protein (MBP) substrate, and ATP (20 µM, 5 µCi) in buffer containing 50 mM HEPES (pH 7.5), 10 mM MgCl2, 2 mM MnCl2, and 0.2 mM dithiothreitol (9) in the presence of fatty acid-free bovine serum albumin vehicle, sphingosine, S1P, or 1 ng of Cdc42-GTP
S prepared as described previously (18). Reactions were carried out at 30°C and stopped at the indicated times by the addition of SDS sample buffer. Proteins were resolved by SDS-PAGE and blotted to nitrocellulose, and the levels of radioactivity incorporated into the MBP and PAK1 were determined with a Bio-Rad FX phosphorimager (Hercules, CA) and Quantity One software. Parallel reactions were performed in the presence of unlabeled ATP, and proteins were immunoblotted with anti-phospho-threonine antibodies (Cell Signaling).
Statistical analysis. Statistical significance was assessed by one-way analysis of variance with a Tukey post hoc test.
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FIG. 1. The C terminus of FLNa interacts with SphK1. (A) Diagram of full-length FLNa, with gray boxes representing immunoglobulin-like repeats. Filled box, FLNa dimerization domain; ABD, actin binding domain; H1 and H2, hinge regions 1 and 2. Bars indicate regions of FLNa that have been found to bind SphK1, calcium sensing receptor (CaR), β-arrestin (β-Arr), dopamine receptor 2 and 3 (DopR), human µ opioid receptor (hMOP), and PAK1. (B) The Ct-FLNa (aa 2380 to 2647), identified as a SphK1 interactor in a yeast two-hybrid screen, was cloned into pcDNA3.1-HA and transcribed and translated in vitro in the presence of L-[4,5-3H]leucine. Equal portions of labeled proteins were then incubated with GST or GST-SphK1, pulled down with glutathione-Sepharose beads, washed, resolved by SDS-PAGE, and autoradiographed. (C) HEK 293 cells were transfected with vector, V5-His-SphK1, or with Ct-FLNa or with both, as indicated. After 48 h, cells were lysed, and proteins were resolved by SDS-PAGE, transblotted, and probed with anti-V5 and anti-HA for SphK1 and Ct-FLNa, respectively (upper panel). Equal amounts of cell lysates were also incubated with Ni-NTA-agarose to pull down SphK1, and bound proteins were examined by immunoblotting with V5 (middle panel) or HA antibodies (lower panel). Note that Ct-FLNa was pulled down only in the presence of V5-His-SphK1. (D) Equal amounts of lysates from HEK 293 cells transfected with vector or V5-SphK1 were incubated with Ni-NTA-agarose to pull down SphK1, and bound proteins were resolved by SDS-PAGE and blotted with anti-FLNa for endogenous FLNa (upper panel) or anti-V5 for SphK1 (lower panel). (E) Lysates from naïve HEK 293 cells were incubated with preimmune serum or anti-SphK1 antibody. Immune complexes were isolated with protein A/G agarose, washed, resolved by SDS-PAGE, and immunoblotted with anti-FLNa antibodies.
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Heregulin induces FLNa-dependent colocalization of SphK1 at lamellipodia. To gain insight into the physiological role of the FLNa and SphK1 interaction, we used a matched pair of melanoma cell lines, M2 cells that do not express detectable levels of FLNa and the M2-derived A7 cells, stably expressing FLNa at near normal levels and that rescues the motility defect of M2 cells (7). In agreement with previous studies, Hrg, an epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like ligand, induced lamellipodia formation and promoted localization of FLNa only in A7 cells (Fig. 2A and B), although both A7 and M2 cells express similar levels of the Hrg receptors ErbB-2 and ErbB-3 (28, 43). Although SphK1 had a similar subcellular distribution in both M2 and A7 cells, Hrg-induced translocation of SphK1 to the lamellipodia only in A7 cells (Fig. 2A and B), where SphK1 colocalized with FLNa. Ectopic expression of FLNa in M2 cells rescued the Hrg-induced formation of membrane ruffles (Fig. 2B and C) and restored colocalization of FLNa and SphK1 at actin-rich lamellipodia (Fig. 2B and D). It should be noted that, although Hrg induced the formation of lamellipodia in only about 40% of A7 cells (Fig. 2C), FLNa and SphK1 were colocalized in >95% of the lamellipodia observed (compare Fig. 2D and C). This colocalization is consistent with the physical interaction between SphK1 and FLNa and the requirement of FLNa for lamellipodia formation.
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FIG. 2. Hrg induces colocalization of SphK1 and FLNa to lamellipodia. FLNa-expressing A7 (A) and FLNa-deficient M2 (B) cells were transfected with vector, V5-SphK1, or FLNa, as indicated. After 48 h, cells were serum starved overnight and then treated with vehicle or Hrg (30 ng/ml) for 30 min; fixed; stained with Alexa 488-labeled phalloidin for F-actin (green), polyclonal antibody against V5 to visualize SphK1 (red), or monoclonal antibody against FLNa (blue); and visualized by confocal microscopy. White areas indicate colocalization of SphK1, FLNa, and actin. Arrows indicate colocalization of actin, FLNa, and SphK1 in lamellipodia, defined as membrane ruffles at the edge of the cell, visualized by DIC that also stain strongly for actin. Bar, 10 µm. Results are representative of at least four independent experiments. (C) The percentage of lamellipodia-positive cells was calculated, and the lamellipodia index was expressed as the mean ± standard error of the mean (SEM). *, P < 0.005. A minimum of 300 cells was scored in a double-blind manner. (D) The percent of cells in which SphK1 and FLNa were colocalized to lamellipodia is expressed as the mean ± SEM. *, P < 0.005. (E) FLNa is essential for the activation of SphK1 by Hrg. M2 and A7 cells were serum starved overnight and then treated with Hrg (30 ng/ml). At the indicated times, cells were washed, lysed, and assayed for SphK1 activity. (F) Hrg stimulates ERK1/2 in both M2 and A7 cells. M2 and A7 cells were treated with 30 ng/ml Hrg for the indicated times. Equal amounts of cell lysates were immunoblotted with anti-phospho-ERK1/2 antibodies. Anti-ERK2 was used as a loading control.
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SphK1 is required for FLNa-dependent cell migration. We next determined whether SphK1 was required for FLNa-dependent motility by downregulating its expression. In both M2 and A7 cells, siRNA targeted to SphK1 reduced its mRNA level by more than 70%, without affecting SphK2 expression (data not shown), and greatly reduced the level of SphK1 protein expression and activity (Fig. 3A). In agreement with previous observations that M2 cells have a defective migratory ability (7), these cells did not migrate toward Hrg in the modified Boyden chamber assays (Fig. 3B). In contrast, the chemotaxis of A7 cells was markedly stimulated by Hrg, S1P, or serum (Fig. 3B and D). Downregulation of SphK1 expression completely blocked the chemotaxis of A7 cells toward Hrg yet did not alter the ability of these cells to migrate toward serum (Fig. 3B). Serum, which contains many other chemoattractants in addition to S1P, was used as a positive control, indicating that the inhibition of migration due to a reduction of SphK1 expression is specific and not a result of a general reduction in cell viability or global impairment of motility. To exclude nonspecific off-target effects, SphK1 expression was also downregulated with siRNA targeted to other regions of the SphK1 sequence. ON-TARGETplus SMARTpool siRNA targeted for SphK1 but not control siRNA, which markedly reduced the expression of SphK1 mRNA by more than 85%, also significantly reduced Hrg-stimulated migration (Fig. 3C). A7 cells also migrated toward S1P (Fig. 3D), and it was of interest to determine whether this migration was mediated by enhanced directed migration in response to a gradient of chemoattractant (chemotaxis) or by increased random motility due to the presence of the chemoattractant itself (chemokinesis). The greatest numbers of cells were found to migrate toward S1P when it was added only to the bottom chamber, whereas migratory responses were greatly reduced when concentrations of S1P were the same in the top and bottom chambers (Fig. 3D), indicating that S1P stimulates chemotactic rather than chemokinetic responses in these cells.
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FIG. 3. SphK1 is required for Hrg-induced cell migration. (A and B) M2 and A7 cells were transfected with control siRNA (siControl) or siRNA targeted to SphK1 (siSphK1) as indicated. (A) Equal amounts of cell lysates were separated by SDS-PAGE and immunoblotted with anti-SphK1 antibody. Blots were reprobed for tubulin to ensure equal loading and transfer. SphK1 activity was determined in lysates from A7 cells (bottom panel). (B) Cells were placed into a modified Boyden chamber and allowed to migrate toward serum-free medium (vehicle), Hrg (30 ng/ml), or 10% serum for 3 h as indicated. Data are expressed as the number of migrating cells per field. Similar results were obtained for three independent experiments. *, P < 0.001. (C) A7 cells were transfected with ON-TARGETplus SMARTpool siRNA targeted to SphK1 (filled bars) or control siRNA 2 (open bars), and cells were allowed to migrate toward Hrg (10 ng/ml) for 3 h. Data are expressed as the number of migrating cells per field. *, P < 0.001. (D) S1P (1 nM) was added to either the bottom chamber or to both the top and bottom chambers, and the migration of A7 cells was determined. *, P < 0.001; **, P < 0.05. (E) M2 and A7 cells were transfected with vector or with Ct-FLNa, and chemotaxis toward serum-free medium (vehicle) or Hrg (30 ng/ml) was measured in a modified Boyden chamber. Data are expressed as the number of migrating cells per field and are representative of three independent experiments.
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FIG. 4. SphK1 is required for Hrg- and sphingosine-induced lamellipodia formation. A7 cells were transfected with control siRNA (siControl) or siRNA targeted to SphK1 (siSphK1) as indicated, serum-starved overnight, and then stimulated with vehicle, Hrg (30 ng/ml), or sphingosine (Sph; 5 µM) for 30 min. Cells were then fixed, stained for actin (green) and FLNa (red), and visualized by confocal microscopy. (A) Yellow areas in merged images indicate colocalization of FLNa and actin. Arrows indicate regions of colocalization of FLNa and actin in lamellipodia. Bar, 10 µm. (B) The percentage of lamellipodia-positive cells was calculated, and the lamellipodia index is expressed as the mean ± standard error of the mean. *, P < 0.05; **, P < 0.01. Data are representative of at least three independent experiments.
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FIG. 5. SphK1 is required for Hrg- and sphingosine-induced phosphorylation of FLNa and PAK. A7 cells were transfected with control siRNA (siControl) or siRNA targeted to SphK1 (siSphK1), starved overnight, and then stimulated with Hrg (30 ng/ml), sphingosine (5 µM), or S1P (100 nM) for the indicated times. Equal amounts of lysates were resolved by SDS-PAGE and immunoblotted with the phospho-specific antibodies p-PAK1/2 (Thr432/Thr402) (A to C) or p-Ser2152 FLNa (D to F). Blots were reprobed for total PAK or FLNa to ensure equal loading and transfer. The upper band in panel B is PAK2 phosphorylated at Thr402. Densitometry was used to determine the change in stimulation of the samples compared to that of the untreated siControl, and values are expressed as the means ± standard errors of the means from three independent experiments.
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Previously, we found that high concentrations of sphingosine stimulated immunoprecipitated PAK1 activity and that N,N-dimethylsphingosine, a pan-SphK inhibitor, blocked its stimulation by Cdc42 (4). Given that PAK coimmunoprecipitated with FLNa (43), and we found that FLNa coimmunoprecipitated with SphK1, we next addressed the possibility that SphK1-produced S1P directly stimulated PAK1. To test this possibility, in vitro kinase assays using recombinant PAK1 produced in bacteria were performed. We found that low concentrations of S1P (2 µM), but not sphingosine, stimulated PAK1-mediated phosphorylation of MBP in a time-dependent manner (Fig. 6A), which was determined by immunoblotting with anti-phospho-threonine antibodies. Moreover, in vitro PAK1 kinase assays with [
-32P]ATP confirmed that a low concentration of S1P, but not sphingosine, stimulated PAK1-mediated incorporation of 32P into MBP, albeit to a lesser extent than its known activator, Cdc42 (Fig. 6B). However, this concentration of S1P stimulated autophosphorylation of PAK1 to almost the same extent as that of Cdc42 (Fig. 6B). Similarly, we previously noted that when PAK1 was activated by sphingosine, it did not effectively phosphorylate MBP, which serves as an excellent substrate for Cdc42-activated PAK1 (4). This could be due to differences in substrate utilization by differentially phosphorylated PAK1 species (4) or, alternatively, due to differences in the ability of S1P-activated PAK1 to utilize only certain substrates.
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FIG. 6. S1P stimulates in vitro PAK1 activity. (A) Recombinant PAK1 was incubated with vehicle, sphingosine (2 µM), or S1P (2 µM) in the presence of ATP and MBP as substrates. Reactions were stopped at the indicated times, and phosphorylation of MBP was determined by immunoblotting with anti-phospho-threonine. Blots were stripped and reprobed with anti-PAK1 as a loading control. (B) Recombinant PAK1 activity was measured in duplicate samples with [ -32P]ATP in the absence or presence of vehicle, sphingosine, S1P, or 1 µg of GTP S-loaded recombinant Cdc42 for 30 min. 32P-labeled MBP and autophosphorylated PAK1 were determined with a phosphorimager after the proteins were resolved by SDS-PAGE and transblotted to nitrocellulose. Data are expressed as the change in stimulation of the vehicle compared to that of the untreated controls and are expressed as the means ± standard deviations from four independent experiments. *, P < 0.005.
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FIG. 7. Colocalization of SphK1 and S1P1, but not S1P2, induced by Hrg at lamellipodia. A7 cells grown on glass coverslips were transfected with V5-SphK1 and green fluorescent protein (GFP)-S1P1 (A) or GFP-S1P2 (B). After 48 h, the cells were serum starved overnight and then treated with vehicle or Hrg (30 ng/ml) for 30 min. Cells were then fixed; stained for SphK1 (red), FLNa (blue), and either S1P1 or S1P2 (green); and visualized by confocal microscopy. Bar, 10 µm. (C) Fields in panels A and B were scored for the number of nontransfected (untrans) and neighboring transfected cells (trans) exhibiting actin-positive lamellipodia, and the lamellipodia index was expressed as the mean ± standard error of the mean (SEM). *, P < 0.01. Data are representative of at least three independent experiments. (D) A7 cells were serum starved; pretreated with vehicle, VPC 23019 (10 µM), or JTE013 (1 µM) for 30 min; and then exposed to vehicle, Hrg (30 ng/ml), or sphingosine (5 µM) for an additional 30 min. Cells were fixed, stained for actin, and visualized by fluorescent microscopy. The percentage of lamellipodia-positive cells was calculated, and the lamellipodia index was expressed as the mean ± SEM. *, P < 0.01. Data are representative of at least three independent experiments.
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FLNa-dependent translocation of SphK1 to lamellipodia allows this cytosolic enzyme access to its lipid substrate, sphingosine, resulting in the spatially restricted formation of S1P and polarized secretion. Spatially restricted secretion of S1P is particularly important for oriented cell movement, as extracellular S1P can potentially simultaneously stimulate cell migration through S1P1 and S1P3 (23, 26, 32) and inhibit it through its repellant receptor, S1P2 (14, 37, 41). However, we found that S1P1, but not S1P2, colocalized with SphK1 and FLNa at lamellipodia in response to cell activation, and thus, FLNa appears to link both SphK1 and S1P1 together at the leading edge, ensuring that S1P1 but not S1P2 is activated by the ligand S1P. This could serve to amplify autocrine signals to control gradient sensing and to direct cell orientation along chemotactic gradients (Fig. 8). A similar autocrine amplification system was recently reported in neutrophils, where ATP was released at the leading edge of the cells in response to chemoattractants to initiate and accelerate directional movement through P2Y2 and A3 receptors (5). Intriguingly, it was recently reported that P2Y2 receptors also bind FLNa, an interaction required for aortic smooth muscle cell migration toward nucleotides (45), suggesting a general role for FLNa in promoting chemotaxis through the localization of G protein-coupled receptors.
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FIG. 8. Proposed roles for the concerted actions of SphK1, S1P, and S1P1 with FLNa and PAK1 at lamellipodia to promote motility. We propose that the activation of growth factor receptors induces the FLNa-dependent recruitment of SphK1 and PAK1 to nascent lamellipodia and also initiates the signaling pathways leading to their phosphorylation. Activated SphK1 produces S1P that can further enhance PAK1 phosphorylation by direct stimulation. In addition, S1P can also act in an autocrine manner to activate S1P1, and this autocrine loop potentiates motility as Gi-coupled S1P1 can activate Rac, which in turn activates PAK1. The FLNa-dependent localization of S1P1, but not S1P2, to lamellipodia further amplifies motility signaling and averts the locally released S1P from inhibiting cell migration through S1P2 (see Discussion for more details). Note that other components associated with FLNa that are relevant to actin filament remodeling are not shown.
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i-dependent and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-dependent manner (30, 36), and it has been suggested that the phosphorylation of S1P1 at threonine 236 by Akt is critical in transducing S1P signals to Rac activation and lamellipodia formation (21, 22). Alternatively, Akt can also directly phosphorylate PAK1 and activate it through a GTPase-independent mechanism (47). The requirement of SphK1 for the activation of PAK1 might also explain the original observation that high concentrations of sphingosine, the substrate of SphK1, stimulated PAK1 by a GTPase-independent pathway (4, 6, 35). Moreover, stimulation of PAK1 by sphingosine was effectively suppressed by the SphK1 inhibitor N,N-dimethylsphingosine (4). Coupled with our observation that the knockdown of SphK1 inhibits sphingosine-induced activation of PAK1 in intact cells, our data suggest that SphK1-catalyzed phosphorylation of sphingosine to S1P is responsible for the effects observed for sphingosine on PAK1 activation (4). Indeed, we found that low concentrations of S1P, but not sphingosine, directly stimulated recombinant PAK1 in vitro. This is the first example of a potential direct intracellular target for S1P and suggests that S1P acts in a dual manner, by activating PAK1 intracellularly and by "inside-out signaling" through S1P1 and its downstream target Rac to promote cell migration. Taken together, our data indicate that PAK1 is an important mediator of the effects of S1P on cytoskeletal rearrangements and motility. Once PAK is activated, it can turn off inhibitory Rho signaling, thus enhancing its own phosphorylation and activity (1). In addition to FLNa, PAK1 can also regulate actin reorganization through other substrates, including LIM kinases and P41-ARC, a subunit of the Arp2/3 complex (3). Taking these findings together, this study suggests that tridirectional communication between PAK1-FLNa-SphK1 in a feed-forward mechanism is critical for the regulation of the dynamics of the actin cytoskeleton at the leading edge of the cell.
This work was supported by NCI grants R01CA61774 (to S.S.) and 5T32 CA085159-04 (to M.M.) and the NIMH Intramural Research Program (S.M.). Confocal microscopy was supported in part by NIH grant P30 CA16059 to the Massey Cancer Center.
Published ahead of print on 21 July 2008. ![]()
These authors contributed equally. ![]()
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