Microtubule Acetylation Controls MDA-MB-231 Breast Cancer Cell Invasion through the Modulation of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress |
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Authors: | Panseon Ko Jee-Hye Choi Seongeun Song Seula Keum Jangho Jeong Ye Eun Hwang Jung Woong Kim Sangmyung Rhee |
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Affiliation: | Department of Life Science, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, Korea; (P.K.); (J.-H.C.); (S.S.); (S.K.); (J.J.); (Y.E.H.); (J.W.K.) |
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Abstract: | During aggressive cancer progression, cancer cells adapt to unique microenvironments by withstanding various cellular stresses, including endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. However, the mechanism whereby cancer cells overcome the ER stress to survive remains to be elucidated. Herein, we demonstrated that microtubule acetylation in cancer cells grown on a stiff matrix promotes cancer progression by preventing excessive ER stress. Downregulation of microtubule acetylation using shRNA or CRSIPR/Cas9 techniques targeting ATAT1, which encodes α-tubulin N-acetyltransferase (αTAT1), resulted in the upregulation of ER stress markers, changes in ER morphology, and enhanced tunicamycin-induced UPR signaling in cancer cells. A set of genes involved in cancer progression, especially focal adhesion genes, were downregulated in both ATAT1-knockout and tunicamycin-treated cells, whereas ATAT1 overexpression restored the gene expression inhibited by tunicamycin. Finally, the expression of ATAT1 and ER stress marker genes were negatively correlated in various breast cancer types. Taken together, our results suggest that disruption of microtubule acetylation is a potent therapeutic tool for preventing breast cancer progression through the upregulation of ER stress. Moreover, ATAT1 and ER stress marker genes may be useful diagnostic markers in various breast cancer types. |
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Keywords: | breast cancer microtubule acetylation extracellular matrix ER stress unfolded protein response |
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