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Clayton NS, Hodge RG, Infante E, Alibhai D, Zhou F, Ridley AJ. RhoU forms homo-oligomers to regulate cellular responses. J Cell Sci 2024; 137:jcs261645. [PMID: 38180080 PMCID: PMC10917059 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.261645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
RhoU is an atypical member of the Rho family of small G-proteins, which has N- and C-terminal extensions compared to the classic Rho GTPases RhoA, Rac1 and Cdc42, and associates with membranes through C-terminal palmitoylation rather than prenylation. RhoU mRNA expression is upregulated in prostate cancer and is considered a marker for disease progression. Here, we show that RhoU overexpression in prostate cancer cells increases cell migration and invasion. To identify RhoU targets that contribute to its function, we found that RhoU homodimerizes in cells. We map the region involved in this interaction to the C-terminal extension and show that C-terminal palmitoylation is required for self-association. Expression of the isolated C-terminal extension reduces RhoU-induced activation of p21-activated kinases (PAKs), which are known downstream targets for RhoU, and induces cell morphological changes consistent with inhibiting RhoU function. Our results show for the first time that the activity of a Rho family member is stimulated by self-association, and this is important for its activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natasha S. Clayton
- School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Biomedical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Richard G. Hodge
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King's College London, Guy's Campus, London SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Elvira Infante
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King's College London, Guy's Campus, London SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Dominic Alibhai
- Wolfson Bioimaging Facility, University of Bristol, Biomedical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Felix Zhou
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Anne J. Ridley
- School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Biomedical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King's College London, Guy's Campus, London SE1 1UL, UK
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Sankaran D, Amjesh R, Paul AM, George B, Kala R, Saini S, Kumar R. Hyperactivation of p21-Activated Kinases in Human Cancer and Therapeutic Sensitivity. Biomedicines 2023; 11. [PMID: 36830998 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11020462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the last three decades, p21-activated kinases (PAKs) have emerged as prominent intracellular nodular signaling molecules in cancer cells with a spectrum of cancer-promoting functions ranging from cell survival to anchorage-independent growth to cellular invasiveness. As PAK family members are widely overexpressed and/or hyperactivated in a variety of human tumors, over the years PAKs have also emerged as therapeutic targets, resulting in the development of clinically relevant PAK inhibitors. Over the last two decades, this has been a promising area of active investigation for several academic and pharmaceutical groups. Similar to other kinases, blocking the activity of one PAK family member leads to compensatory activity on the part of other family members. Because PAKs are also activated by stress-causing anticancer drugs, PAKs are components in the rewiring of survival pathways in the action of several therapeutic agents; in turn, they contribute to the development of therapeutic resistance. This, in turn, creates an opportunity to co-target the PAKs to achieve a superior anticancer cellular effect. Here we discuss the role of PAKs and their effector pathways in the modulation of cellular susceptibility to cancer therapeutic agents and therapeutic resistance.
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Wang Y, Minden A. The Use of Nanomedicine to Target Signaling by the PAK Kinases for Disease Treatment. Cells 2021; 10:3565. [PMID: 34944073 DOI: 10.3390/cells10123565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
P21-activated kinases (PAKs) are serine/threonine kinases involved in the regulation of cell survival, proliferation, inhibition of apoptosis, and the regulation of cell morphology. Some members of the PAK family are highly expressed in several types of cancer, and they have also been implicated in several other medical disorders. They are thus considered to be good targets for treatment of cancer and other diseases. Although there are several inhibitors of the PAKs, the utility of some of these inhibitors is reduced for several reasons, including limited metabolic stability. One way to overcome this problem is the use of nanoparticles, which have the potential to increase drug delivery. The overall goals of this review are to describe the roles for PAK kinases in cell signaling and disease, and to describe how the use of nanomedicine is a promising new method for administering PAK inhibitors for the purpose of disease treatment and research. We discuss some of the basic mechanisms behind nanomedicine technology, and we then describe how these techniques are being used to package and deliver PAK inhibitors.
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Abstract
The p21-activated kinases (PAKs), downstream effectors of Ras-related Rho GTPase Cdc42 and Rac, are serine/threonine kinases. Biologically, PAKs participate in various cellular processes, including growth, apoptosis, mitosis, immune response, motility, inflammation, and gene expression, making PAKs the nexus of several pathogenic and oncogenic signaling pathways. PAKs were proved to play critical roles in human diseases, including cancer, infectious diseases, neurological disorders, diabetes, pancreatic acinar diseases, and cardiac disorders. In this review, we systematically discuss the structure, function, alteration, and molecular mechanisms of PAKs that are involved in the pathogenic and oncogenic effects, as well as PAK inhibitors, which may be developed and deployed in cancer therapy, anti-viral infection, and other diseases. Furthermore, we highlight the critical questions of PAKs in future research, which provide an opportunity to offer input and guidance on new directions for PAKs in pathogenic, oncogenic, and drug discovery research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Liu
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Academy of Medical Science, College of Medical, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Kangdong Liu
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Academy of Medical Science, College of Medical, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.,China-US (Henan) Hormel Cancer Institute, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Zigang Dong
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Academy of Medical Science, College of Medical, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.,China-US (Henan) Hormel Cancer Institute, Zhengzhou, China
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Kumar R, Paul AM, Amjesh R, George B, Pillai MR. Coordinated dysregulation of cancer progression by the HER family and p21-activated kinases. Cancer Metastasis Rev 2020; 39:583-601. [PMID: 32820388 DOI: 10.1007/s10555-020-09922-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Most epithelial cancer types are polygenic in nature and are driven by coordinated dysregulation of multiple regulatory pathways, genes, and protein modifications. The process of coordinated regulation of cancer promoting pathways in response to extrinsic and intrinsic signals facilitates the dysregulation of several pathways with complementary functions, contributing to the hallmarks of cancer. Dysregulation and hyperactivation of cell surface human epidermal growth factor receptors (HERs) and cytoskeleton remodeling by p21-activated kinases (PAKs) are two prominent interconnected aspects of oncogenesis. We briefly discuss the discoveries and significant advances in the area of coordinated regulation of HERs and PAKs in the development and progression of breast and other epithelial cancers. We also discuss how initial studies involving heregulin signaling via HER3-HER2 axis and HER2-overexpressing breast cancer cells not only discovered a mechanistic role of PAK1 in breast cancer pathobiology but also acted as a bridge in generating a broader cancer research interest in other PAK family members and cancer types and catalyzed establishing the role of PAKs in human cancer, at-large. In addition, growth factor stimulation of the PAK pathway also helped to recognize new facets of PAKs, connecting the PAK pathway to oncogenesis, nuclear signaling, gene expression, mitotic progression, DNA damage response, among other phenotypic responses, and shaped the field of PAK cancer research. Finally, we recount some of the current limitations of HER- and PAK-directed therapeutics in counteracting acquired therapeutic resistance and discuss how cancer's as a polygenic disease may be best targeted with a polygenic approach.
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Dang Y, Guo Y, Ma X, Chao X, Wang F, Cai L, Yan Z, Xie L, Guo X. Systemic analysis of the expression and prognostic significance of PAKs in breast cancer. Genomics 2020; 112:2433-2444. [PMID: 31987914 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2020.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Revised: 11/24/2019] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
PAKs (p21-activated kinases) are reported to play crucial roles in a variety of cellular processes and participate in the progression of human cancers. However, the expression and prognostic values of PAKs remain poorly explored in breast cancers. In our study, we examined the mRNA and protein expression levels of PAKs and the prognostic value. We also analyzed the interaction network, genetic alteration, and functional enrichment of PAKs. The results showed that the mRNA levels of PAK1, PAK2, PAK4 and PAK6 were significantly up-regulated in breast cancer compared with normal tissues, while the reverse trend for PAK3 and PAK5 was found, furthermore, the proteins expression of PAK1, PAK2 and PAK4 in breast cancer tissues were higher than that in normal breast tissues. Survival analysis revealed breast cancer patients with low mRNA expression of PAK3 and PAK5 showed worse RFS, conversely, elevated PAK4 levels predicted worse RFS. In addition, the breast cancer patients with PAKs genetic alterations correlated with worse OS. These results indicated that PAKs might be promising potential biomarkers for breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifang Dang
- Department of Predictive Medicine, Institute of Biomedical Informatics, Cell Signal Transduction Laboratory, Bioinformatics Center, Henan Provincial Engineering Center for Tumor Molecular Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China.
| | - Ying Guo
- Department of Predictive Medicine, Institute of Biomedical Informatics, Cell Signal Transduction Laboratory, Bioinformatics Center, Henan Provincial Engineering Center for Tumor Molecular Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China.
| | - Xiaoyu Ma
- Department of Predictive Medicine, Institute of Biomedical Informatics, Cell Signal Transduction Laboratory, Bioinformatics Center, Henan Provincial Engineering Center for Tumor Molecular Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China.
| | - Xiaoyu Chao
- Department of Predictive Medicine, Institute of Biomedical Informatics, Cell Signal Transduction Laboratory, Bioinformatics Center, Henan Provincial Engineering Center for Tumor Molecular Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China.
| | - Fei Wang
- Department of Predictive Medicine, Institute of Biomedical Informatics, Cell Signal Transduction Laboratory, Bioinformatics Center, Henan Provincial Engineering Center for Tumor Molecular Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China.
| | - Linghao Cai
- Department of Predictive Medicine, Institute of Biomedical Informatics, Cell Signal Transduction Laboratory, Bioinformatics Center, Henan Provincial Engineering Center for Tumor Molecular Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China.
| | - Zhongyi Yan
- Department of Predictive Medicine, Institute of Biomedical Informatics, Cell Signal Transduction Laboratory, Bioinformatics Center, Henan Provincial Engineering Center for Tumor Molecular Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China.
| | - Longxiang Xie
- Department of Predictive Medicine, Institute of Biomedical Informatics, Cell Signal Transduction Laboratory, Bioinformatics Center, Henan Provincial Engineering Center for Tumor Molecular Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China.
| | - Xiangqian Guo
- Department of Predictive Medicine, Institute of Biomedical Informatics, Cell Signal Transduction Laboratory, Bioinformatics Center, Henan Provincial Engineering Center for Tumor Molecular Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China.
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Abstract
The Rho family small GTPases and their effectors, including PAKs, are extensively studied in the context of the actin cytoskeleton, excitatory synaptic function, spine morphology and memory formation. However, their roles in inhibitory synaptic function remain poorly understood. We have recently shown that PAK1 is a potent regulator of GABAergic synaptic transmission. Thus, disruption of PAK1 leads to significant impairments in inhibitory postsynaptic currents which are manifested as reduced GABA presynaptic releases. Interestingly, this effect of PAK1 is distinct from its previously known role in spines and excitatory synaptic transmission in that it is independent of postsynaptic actin, but requires retrograde messengers produced and released from the postsynaptic neurons to suppress presynaptic GABA releases. We have further identified eCBs as the retrograde messengers and shown that PAK1 regulates the eCB signaling via restricting the tissue level of AEA by promoting synaptic expression of COX-2, a key enzyme to oxidize AEA. These results have established a novel pathway whereby PAK1, and by extension Rho proteins, regulates cellular processes, synaptic function and behaviors and have important implications in understanding and treating various diseases linked to PAKs and Rho signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuting Xia
- a The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Southeast University , Nanjing , China
| | - Zikai Zhou
- a The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Southeast University , Nanjing , China
| | - Zhengping Jia
- b Neurosciences and Mental Health Program, the Hospital for Sick Children , Toronto , Canada.,c Department of Physiology , Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto , Toronto , Canada
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