A Novel NHERF1 Mutation in Human Breast Cancer and Effects on Malignant Progression

Na⁺/H⁺ exchanger regulatory factor 1 (NHERF1) has been reported to interact with post-synaptic density protein/Drosophila disc large tumour suppressor/zonula occludens 1 protein (PDZ) binding proteins by its two PDZ domains. These associations have effects on cellular signal transductions. NHERF1 has also been indicated as a cancer-related gene in several solid tumour types. We identified a novel mutation (A190D), of the PDZ2 domain of NHERF1 in breast cancer tissues. NHERF1 A190D mutation abolished NHERF1 modulation of proliferation and migration. In this study, we found that NHERF1 A190D mutation increased nuclear localisation of the protein compared to wild-type NHERF1. It has been reported that YES-associated protein (YAP) interacts with NHERF1. Here we found that NHERF1 A190D mutation increased the binding affinity between NHERF1 and YAP, which inhibited the phosphorylation of YAP. These data suggest that wild-type NHERF1 acts as a tumour suppressor, while NHERF1 A190D mutation abolishes the tumour-suppressive effect in cancer cells, due to A190D mutation-mediated nuclear NHERF1 translocation and induction of YAP phosphorylation.