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MIGRATION, INVASION AND METASTASIS www.beatson.gla.ac.uk/laura_machesky Cancer metastasis is a huge challenge for cancer research, as it is often the main barrier to effective treatment. We aim to gain insights into mechanisms of metastatic spread by determining the roles of key actin cytoskeletal proteins, such as the actin filament nucleation machinery and the bundling protein fascin-1, in cancer cell invasive and migratory behaviour. Group Leader Laura Machesky FRSE Research Scientists Amelie Juin Nikki Paul1 Karthic Swaminathan Ben Tyrrell Iben Veland2 Scientific Officer Heather Spence Clinical Research Fellows Hayley Morris Graduate Students Loic Fort Vasileios Papalazarou3 Emma Woodham 1 Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund University of Copenhagen/ Danish Research Council 2 CRUK Glasgow Centre, joint with Manuel Salmeron-Sanchez, University of Glasgow 3 34 The actin cytoskeleton is important not only for cell strength and migratory capacity but also for adhesion-dependent survival, membrane trafficking and establishment of polarity. Additionally, it plays a key role in how a cell interacts with and remodels the extracellular environment. The extracellular matrix contributes to the development and homeostasis of organs and tissues, and in tumours matrix and stroma provide key support for growth, invasion and metastasis. We aim to understand how various actin regulators control interaction with matrix and how tumours subvert both the actin cytoskeleton and the surrounding tumour stroma to gain advantages. Role of actin nucleating proteins in cell migration, invasion and membrane trafficking The Arp2/3 complex is the major inducer of actin filaments in response to extracellular signals. The Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome protein family (including WASP/N-WASP, Scar/WAVE, WASH, WHAMM and JMY) transmit signals to the Arp2/3 complex to trigger actin assembly. Each of these proteins is regulated differently and one of our aims is to understand the mechanisms of regulation and the involvement of these proteins in invasion and metastasis of cancer as well as their normal cellular functions. WASP family proteins regulate actin assembly in multiple essential and pathological cellular processes, such as endocytic trafficking, protrusion of lamellipodia and filopodia, cell division, and assembly of invasive structures such as podosomes and invadopodia. Postdoc Ben Tyrrell is studying the role of the WASH protein complex in production of actin networks on endocytic vesicles to regulate cell signalling and motility in three-dimensional matrix. Postdoc Iben Veland is funded by the SCIENTIFIC REPORT 2015 CANCER RESEARCH UK BEATSON INSTITUTE Danish Research Council to investigate the role of WASH proteins and associated adapter proteins in invasive migration, and delivery of matrix metalloproteases and receptors into invasive pseudopods. PhD student Loic Fort is working in collaboration with Jose Batista in Robert Insall’s group to discover new regulators of the Scar/WAVE complex and determine their role in migration and invasion. Role of actin regulatory proteins in colorectal and pancreatic cancers N-WASP is established as a key driver of formation of invadopodia and of cancer cell invasion in vitro, but much less is known about its potential role in vivo. This year, MRC-funded clinical research fellow Hayley Morris continued her study of N-WASP in colorectal cancer (in collaboration with Owen Sansom). She finds a role for N-WASP in the early conversion between polyps and carcinoma. Postdoc Amelie Juin is studying N-WASP in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). High levels of N-WASP have recently been correlated with poor outcome in human patients with PDAC (Guo et al, 2014) pointing to N-WASP as a potentially interesting new target for this cancer. We will determine whether the role of N-WASP in invadopodia translates into differences in tumour formation, progression and spread. Thus far, we find a strong impact of N-WASP on invasion and metastasis and are working to discover the mechanisms by which the actin cytoskeleton confers invasiveness and metastatic capability to pancreatic cancer cells. Student Loic Fort and Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund postdoc Nikki Paul are studying how fascin upregulation affects the initiation of pancreatic cancer from the precursor lesions Figure 1. Melanoblasts in mouse embryo skin are marked with dopachrome tautomerase (DCT, green) 2 . H&E staining of a mouse PDAC tumour showing regions Figure Figure early tumours and track cells escaping from intraepithelial and BrDu (red) to i1ndicate proliferaBon. Nuclei are s(pancreatic hown in blue (DAPI), revealing also neoplasia). surrounding Nikki leads Melanoblasts in mouse Of dense desmoplasBc stroma (pink staining, black arrows). Photo keraBnocytes in the developing skin. Photo credit: Eour mma ongoing Woodham efforts to develop the tumours. and test fascin-1 embryo skin are marked with Amelie Juin inhibitor compounds togetherCredit: with Martin dopachrome tautomerase (DCT, Role of extracellular matrix in migration Drysdale’s Drug Discovery team. We continue green) and BrDu (red) to indicate and invasion of tumours to explore the mechanisms by which fascin proliferation. Nuclei are shown in blue (DAPI), revealing also PDACs contain a dense fibrous stroma rich in contributes to invasiveness and metastatic surrounding keratinocytes in the collagen, fibronectin and other components spread of pancreatic cancer. developing skin. Photo credit: (Fig. 2). This is thought to serve both as a barrier Emma Woodham Figure 2 H&E staining of a mouse PDAC tumour showing regions Of dense desmoplastic stroma (pink staining, black arrows). Photo Credit: Amelie Juin Role of actin regulatory proteins in melanoblast migration and melanoma We previously showed that loss of Rac1 causes major defects in melanoblast migration and proliferation during development (Li et al, 2011). We continue to investigate the roles of RhoA and Cdc42 in melanoblasts (Fig. 1) with PhD student Emma Woodham and postdoc Ben Tyrrell, together with Cord Brakebusch (BRIC, University of Copenhagen). Emma has found a major role for Cdc42 in melanoblast migration and proliferation and is currently working with primary cultured melanocytes to unravel the molecular mechanisms. Postdoc Karthic Swaminathan studies the role of the major actin nucleation promoting complex Scar/ WAVE in melanoblast migration and melanoma metastasis. He and student Loic Fort are also setting up a model to study melanoma metastasis (in collaboration with Jim Bear, University of North Carolina) where we will use intravital imaging to view events in to chemotherapeutic treatment and an inducer of more aggressive behaviour of the tumour cells. We have a new CRUK Glasgow Centrefunded PhD student, Vassilis Papalazorou, co-supervised by Manuel Salmeron-Sanchez (Engineering Department, University Glasgow), to study how matrix stiffness and composition affects tumour migration and invasion. Together with postdoc Amelie Juin, we are studying the mechanisms of matrix remodelling by cancer associated fibroblasts as well as the effects of this matrix on cancer cells using engineered matrix with defined stiffness and composition. Our goal is to better understand the crucial properties of desmoplastic stroma so that PDAC treatments can be improved in the future. Publications listed on page 88 35 MIGRATION, INVASION AND METASTASIS