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Analyses of Mitochondrial Calcium Influx in Isolated Mitochondria and Cultured Cells
Published on: April 27, 2018
Mitochondrial Ca²⁺ uniporter is critical for store-operated Ca²⁺ entry-dependent breast cancer cell migration
Shihao Tang1, Xubu Wang2, Qiang Shen3
1Department of Occupational Health and Occupational Medicine, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Guangzhou No.12 Hospital, Guangzhou, China.
Abstract:
Metastasis of cancer cells is a complicated multistep process requiring extensive and continuous cytosolic calcium modulation. Mitochondrial Ca(2+) uniporter (MCU), a regulator of mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake, has been implicated in energy metabolism and various cellular signaling processes. However, whether MCU contributes to cancer cell migration has not been established. Here we examined the expression of MCU mRNA in the Oncomine database and found that MCU is correlated to metastasis and invasive breast cancer. MCU inhibition by ruthenium red (RuR) or MCU silencing by siRNA abolished serum-induced migration in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and reduced serum- or thapsigargin (TG)-induced store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE). Serum-induced migrations in MDA-MB-231 cells were blocked by SOCE inhibitors. Our results demonstrate that MCU plays a critical role in breast cancer cell migration by regulating SOCE.
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