PRL-1 Tyrosine Phosphatase Regulates c-Src Levels, Adherence, and Invasion in Human Lung Cancer Cells

Abstract

Phosphatases of regenerating liver (PRL) constitute a subfamily of the protein tyrosine phosphatases that are implicated in oncogenic and metastatic phenotypes. In this study, we evaluated the role of PRL-1 in cell proliferation and metastatic processes in human lung cancer cells. We stably transfected human A549 lung cancer cells with several short hairpin RNAs for PRL-1 and found decreased invasive activity in the resulting clones compared with control cells. In addition, cells with suppressed PRL-1 exhibited greater adherence and cell spreading on fibronectin and a decreased proliferation rate compared with control cells. To address possible mechanisms for the altered phenotypes, we examined known biochemical regulators of adhesion and invasion. Inhibition of PRL-1 decreased c-Src and p130Cas expression and Rac1 and Cdc42 activation without any apparent modification of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) expression. Total tyrosine FAK phosphorylation and Tyr³⁹⁷ phosphorylation levels were continuously elevated in PRL-1 knockdown cells plated on fibronectin. In immunofluorescence studies, reduction in PRL-1 seemed to decrease cell membrane protrusions with a reduction in actin fiber extensions in spite of continuous phosphorylation of Tyr³⁹⁷ FAK, which could reflect reduced adhesion turnover. Our data implicate PRL-1 in the fundamental process of cell adhesion and migration in human lung cancer cells by affecting Rac1, Cdc42, and c-Src activation. These results support the hypothesis that PRL-1 plays an important role in maintaining the malignant phenotype by exploiting Src activation processes, and that PRL-1 could be a promising therapeutic target for cancer metastasis and cell growth. [Cancer Res 2007;67(2):643–50]