Cadherin-regulated apoptosis and survival signaling in epithelial cells

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Our objective is to understand the mechanisms by which cell-cell contact-mediated signaling in polarized epithelial cells regulates epithelial architecture and oncogenesis. E-cadherin is a cell-cell adhesion molecule that is essential to development and function of polarized epithelial organs. Strikingly, E-cadherin is also a major tumor suppressor. Loss of E-cadherin expression occurs in familial cancer syndromes and sporadic cancer, with renal cell carcinoma serving a prominent example of both. The tumor suppressive role of E-cadherin has previously been ascribed to inhibition of cell motility and effects on Wnt signaling. Here we seek to define a novel tumor suppressor function for E- cadherin. We have determined that anoikis ("homelessness"), which denotes apoptosis elicited by deprivation of cell-matrix interaction, is mediated by cadherin-engagement. Resistance to anoikis is a hallmark of metastatic capacity. We have established that ?PIX, an activator of the Cdc42 and Rac GTPases, confers protection against cadherin- mediated apoptosis in kidney epithelial cells. ?PIX binds directly to Scrib, a tumor suppressor that promotes E-cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion. This proposal tests the hypothesis that the ?PIX-Scrib complex modulates cadherin-mediated survival signaling in epithelial cells. It moreover addresses the putative pro-apoptotic function of E-cadherin in the context of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CC-RCC). The von Hippel- Lindau tumor suppressor gene VHL, a regulator of E-cadherin expression, plays a major causal role in CC-RCC. The goals of this proposal will be accomplished in three aims. Aim 1 establishes the requirement for functional domains in ?PIX to counteract cadherin- mediated apoptosis. Aim 2 defines the role of the Scrib-?PIX complex in apoptosis elicited by cadherin-engagement. Aim 3 determines whether loss of VHL in CC-RCC confers protection against E-cadherin-mediated apoptosis. Collectively, the proposed studies will elucidate a novel function of E-cadherin of pivotal importance to epithelial morphogenesis and tumor suppression.