Erythropoietin stimulates cancer cell migration and activates RhoA protein through a mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase-dependent mechanism

Sumaya N. Hamadmad, Raymond J. Hohl

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

23 Scopus citations

Abstract

Erythropoietin (Epo) receptor (EpoR) is expressed in several cancer cell lines, and the functional consequence of this expression is under extensive study. In this study, we used a cervical cancer cell line in which EpoR was first found to be expressed and to correlate with the severity of the disease. We demonstrate that Epo is a chemoattractant for these cancer cells, enhancing their migration under serum-starved conditions. Using a Transwell migration system, we show that Epo enhances cancer cell migration in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The effect of Epo is dependent on the activity of two signaling pathways: the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway and the RhoA GTPase pathway. We show that Epo activates both pathways in a Janus kinase-dependent manner and that this activation is required for Epo effects on cell migration. Furthermore, we use both pharmacological and genetic inhibitors to demonstrate that the activation of RhoA GTPase is dependent on the activity of the MAPK pathway, providing the first evidence for interaction between these two signaling cascades.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1227-1233
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
Volume324
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2008

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Molecular Medicine
  • Pharmacology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Erythropoietin stimulates cancer cell migration and activates RhoA protein through a mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase-dependent mechanism'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this