Research

Prosaposin down-modulation decreases metastatic prostate cancer cell adhesion, migration, and invasion

Siyi Hu¹ , Nathalie Delorme¹ , Zhenzhen Liu¹ , Tao Liu¹ , Cruz Velasco-Gonzalez² , Jone Garai¹ , Ashok Pullikuth³ and Shahriar Koochekpour^1,4,5,6

¹  Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA

²  School of Public Health, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA

³  Departments of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA

⁴  Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA

⁵  Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA

⁶  Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA

author email corresponding author email

Molecular Cancer 2010, 9:30doi:10.1186/1476-4598-9-30

Published:	4 February 2010

Abstract

Background

Factors responsible for invasive and metastatic progression of prostate cancer (PCa) remain largely unknown. Previously, we reported cloning of prosaposin (PSAP) and its genomic amplification and/or overexpression in several androgen-independent metastatic PCa cell lines and lymph node metastases. PSAP is the lysosomal precursor of saposins, which serve as activators for lysosomal hydrolases involved in the degradation of ceramide (Cer) and other sphingolipids.

Results

Our current data show that, in metastatic PCa cells, stable down-modulation of PSAP by RNA-interference via a lysosomal proteolysis-dependent pathway decreased β_1A-integrin expression, its cell-surface clustering, and adhesion to basement membrane proteins; led to disassembly of focal adhesion complex; and decreased phosphorylative activity of focal adhesion kinase and its downstream adaptor molecule, paxillin. Cathepsin D (CathD) expression and proteolytic activity, migration, and invasion were also significantly decreased in PSAP knock-down cells. Transient-transfection studies with β_1A integrin- or CathD-siRNA oligos confirmed the cause and effect relationship between PSAP and CathD or PSAP and Cer-β_1A integrin, regulating PCa cell migration and invasion.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that by a coordinated regulation of Cer levels, CathD and β_1A-integrin expression, and attenuation of "inside-out" integrin-signaling pathway, PSAP is involved in PCa invasion and therefore might be used as a molecular target for PCa therapy.