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Rnd3 Regulation of the Actin Cytoskeleton Promotes Melanoma Migration and Invasive Outgrowth in Three Dimensions

¹ Center for Cell Biology and Cancer Research, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York and ² Department of Cancer Biology, Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Requests for reprints: Andrew E. Aplin, Department of Cancer Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, 233 S. 10th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107. Phone: 215-503-7296; E-mail: Andrew.Aplin{at}KimmelCancerCenter.Org.

Key Words: Melanoma • Invasion • Migration • Cytoskeleton • Rnd3

The depth of cell invasion into the dermis is a clinical determinant for poor prognosis in cutaneous melanoma. The signaling events that promote the switch from a noninvasive to invasive tumor phenotype remain obscure. Activating mutations in the serine/threonine kinase B-RAF are prevalent in melanoma. Mutant B-RAF is required for melanoma cell invasion. The expression of Rnd3, a Rho family GTPase, is regulated by mutant B-RAF, although its role in melanoma progression is unknown. In this study, we determined the functional contribution of Rnd3 to invasive melanoma. Endogenous Rnd3 was targeted for knockdown using a doxycycline-inducible short hairpin RNA system in invasive human melanoma cells. Depletion of Rnd3 promoted prominent actin stress fibers and enlarged focal adhesions. Mechanistically, stress fiber formation induced by Rnd3 knockdown required the specific involvement of RhoA and ROCK1/2 activity but not RhoB or RhoC. Rnd3 expression in human melanoma cell lines was strongly associated with elevated extracellular signal–regulated kinase phosphorylation and invasive behavior in a three-dimensional dermal-like environment. A functional role for Rnd3 was shown in the invasive outgrowth of melanoma tumor spheroids. Knockdown of Rnd3 reduced the invasive outgrowth of spheroids embedded in collagen gels. Additionally, Rnd3 depletion inhibited collective and border cell movement out from spheroids in a ROCK1/2-dependent manner. Collectively, these findings implicate Rnd3 as a major suppressor of RhoA-mediated actin cytoskeletal organization and in the acquisition of an invasive melanoma phenotype. [Cancer Res 2009;69(6):2224–33]