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Quantification of Breast Cancer Cell Invasiveness Using a Three-dimensional (3D) Model
08:08

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Published on: June 11, 2014

Akt blocks breast cancer cell motility and invasion through the transcription factor NFAT

Merav Yoeli-Lerner1, Gary K Yiu, Isaac Rabinovitz

  • 1Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.

Molecular Cell
|November 26, 2005
PubMed

Insights

The study reveals that Akt signaling inhibits breast cancer cell migration and invasion by reducing NFAT levels. Downregulating Akt enhances cancer cell motility, highlighting Akt

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Signaling

Background:

  • The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway, particularly Akt/PKB, is crucial for cancer cell survival and growth.
  • The role of Akt in cancer cell motility, a critical aspect of tumor invasion, remains less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of Akt signaling in regulating breast cancer cell migration and invasion.
  • To elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which Akt influences cancer cell motility.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized RNA interference to downregulate Akt expression in breast cancer cells.
  • Assessed the effects of Akt modulation on cell migration and invasion assays.
  • Investigated the impact of Akt on the transcriptional activity of NFAT (nuclear factor of activated T cells).
  • Examined the role of the E3 ubiquitin ligase HDM2 in Akt-mediated NFAT degradation.

Main Results:

  • Activation of Akt significantly inhibited breast cancer cell migration and invasion.
  • Downregulation of Akt using RNA interference led to increased cancer cell motility and invasion.
  • Akt was found to suppress NFAT transcriptional activity.
  • Akt signaling promotes NFAT degradation via HDM2-mediated ubiquitination.

Conclusions:

  • Akt signaling acts as a suppressor of breast cancer cell motility and invasion.
  • The inhibitory effect of Akt on invasion is partly mediated by the downregulation of NFAT transcriptional activity.
  • These findings identify a novel mechanism involving Akt and NFAT in controlling breast cancer cell invasion.

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