ROCK2 inhibition triggers the collective invasion of colorectal adenocarcinomas.
Fotine LibanjeJoel RaingeaudRui LuanZoéAp ThomasOlivier ZajacJoel VeigaLaetitia MarisaJulien AdamValerie BoigeDavid MalkaDiane GoéréAlan HallJean-Yves SoazecFriedrich PrallMaximiliano GelliPeggy DartiguesFanny JaulinPublished in: The EMBO journal (2019)
The metastatic progression of cancer is a multi-step process initiated by the local invasion of the peritumoral stroma. To identify the mechanisms underlying colorectal carcinoma (CRC) invasion, we collected live human primary cancer specimens at the time of surgery and monitored them ex vivo. This revealed that conventional adenocarcinomas undergo collective invasion while retaining their epithelial glandular architecture with an inward apical pole delineating a luminal cavity. To identify the underlying mechanisms, we used microscopy-based assays on 3D organotypic cultures of Caco-2 cysts as a model system. We performed two siRNA screens targeting Rho-GTPases effectors and guanine nucleotide exchange factors. These screens revealed that ROCK2 inhibition triggers the initial leader/follower polarization of the CRC cell cohorts and induces collective invasion. We further identified FARP2 as the Rac1 GEF necessary for CRC collective invasion. However, FARP2 activation is not sufficient to trigger leader cell formation and the concomitant inhibition of Myosin-II is required to induce invasion downstream of ROCK2 inhibition. Our results contrast with ROCK pro-invasive function in other cancers, stressing that the molecular mechanism of metastatic spread likely depends on tumour types and invasion mode.
Keyphrases
- cell migration
- single cell
- high throughput
- small cell lung cancer
- squamous cell carcinoma
- papillary thyroid
- cell therapy
- squamous cell
- endothelial cells
- stem cells
- high resolution
- gene expression
- mass spectrometry
- magnetic resonance imaging
- atrial fibrillation
- coronary artery disease
- acute coronary syndrome
- optical coherence tomography
- drug delivery
- single molecule
- coronary artery bypass