ErbB-2 signals through Plexin-B1 to promote breast cancer metastasis

J Clin Invest. 2012 Apr;122(4):1296-305. doi: 10.1172/JCI60568. Epub 2012 Mar 1.

Abstract

Diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer is associated with a very poor prognosis. New therapeutic targets are urgently needed, but their development is hampered by a lack of understanding of the mechanisms leading to tumor metastasis. Exemplifying this is the fact that the approximately 30% of all breast cancers overexpressing the receptor tyrosine kinase ErbB-2 are characterized by high metastatic potential and poor prognosis, but the signaling events downstream of ErbB-2 that drive cancer cell invasion and metastasis remain incompletely understood. Here we show that overexpression of ErbB-2 in human breast cancer cell lines leads to phosphorylation and activation of the semaphorin receptor Plexin-B1. This was required for ErbB-2-dependent activation of the pro-metastatic small GTPases RhoA and RhoC and promoted invasive behavior of human breast cancer cells. In a mouse model of ErbB-2-overexpressing breast cancer, ablation of the gene encoding Plexin-B1 strongly reduced the occurrence of metastases. Moreover, in human patients with ErbB-2-overexpressing breast cancer, low levels of Plexin-B1 expression correlated with good prognosis. Our data suggest that Plexin-B1 represents a new candidate therapeutic target for treating patients with ErbB-2-positive breast cancer.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Animals
  • Breast Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Breast Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Disease Progression
  • Enzyme Activation
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Genes, erbB-2
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms / secondary
  • Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / genetics
  • Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / metabolism
  • Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / pathology
  • Mice
  • Neoplasm Invasiveness / genetics
  • Neoplasm Invasiveness / physiopathology*
  • Neoplasm Metastasis
  • Neoplasm Proteins / physiology*
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins / physiology*
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / pathology
  • Phosphorylation
  • Prognosis
  • Protein Processing, Post-Translational*
  • Receptor, ErbB-2 / physiology*
  • Receptors, Cell Surface / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Receptors, Cell Surface / physiology*
  • Signal Transduction / physiology*
  • rho GTP-Binding Proteins / physiology

Substances

  • Neoplasm Proteins
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins
  • PLXNB1 protein, human
  • Plxnb1 protein, mouse
  • Receptors, Cell Surface
  • Receptor, ErbB-2
  • rho GTP-Binding Proteins