N-cadherin mediates the migration of MCF-10A cells undergoing bone morphogenetic protein 4-mediated epithelial mesenchymal transition

作者：Park Ki Sook^*; Dubon Maria Jose; Gumbiner Barry M

来源：Tumor Biology, 2015, 36(5): 3549-3556.

DOI：10.1007/s13277-014-2991-9

• Epithelial mesenchymal transition
• Bone morphogenetic protein 4
• N-cadherin
• Mammary epithelial cell
• MCF-10A

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of mammary epithelial cells is important in both normal morphogenesis of mammary glands and metastasis of breast cancer. Cadherin switching from E-cadherin to N-cadherin plays important roles in EMT. We found that cadherin switching is important in bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4)-induced EMT in MCF-10A cells. BMP4 increased the phosphorylation of SMAD proteins in MCF-10A cells. Canonical BMP4 signaling decreased the expression of E-cadherin and disrupted the polarity of the tight junction protein ZO-1 in MCF-10A cells. However, the expression of N-cadherin and SNAI2 was up-regulated in BMP4-treated MCF-10A cells. MCF-10A cells that expressed N-cadherin migrated into type I collagen gels in response to BMP4 when evaluated using three-dimensional culture assays. Thus, active canonical BMP4 signaling is important for the migration and EMT of mammary epithelial cells. Moreover, the decrease in E-cadherin and/or increase in N-cadherin may be required for BMP4-induced migration and EMT.

• 出版日期2015-5