The small GTPase Arf6 and its downstream effector AMAP1 (also called ASAP1/DDEF1) constitute a signaling pathway promoting cell invasion, in which AMAP1 interacts with several different proteins, including PRKD2, EPB41L5, paxillin, and cortactin. Components of this pathway are often overexpressed in human breast cancer cells, to be correlated with poor prognosis of the patients, whereas overexpression of the Arf6 pathway did not correlate with the four main molecular classes of human breast tumors. In this pathway, receptor tyrosine kinases, including EGFR and Her2, activate Arf6 via GEP100. MMTV-PyMT mice and MMTV-Neu mice are well-established models of human breast cancer, and exhibit the early dissemination and the lung metastasis, by utilizing protein tyrosine phosphorylation for oncogenesis. PyMT-tumors and Neu-tumors are known to have overlapping gene expression profiles, which primarily correspond to the luminal B-type of human mammary tumors, although they differ in the time necessary for tumor onset and metastasis. Given the common usage of protein tyrosine phosphorylation, as well as the frequent use of these animal models for studying breast cancer at the molecular level, we here investigated whether mammary tumors in these mouse models utilize the Arf6-based pathway for invasion. Expression levels of Arf6, AMAP1, and GEP100 were analyzed in PyMT-tumors and Neu-tumors by western blotting. Expression of Arf6 and AMAP1 was also analyzed by immunohistochemistry. The involvement of AMAP1 in invasion, and the possible correlation of its high expression levels with cancer mesenchymal properties were also investigated. We found that PyMT-tumors, but not Neu-tumors, frequently overexpress AMAP1 and use it for invasion, whereas both types of tumors expressed Arf6 and GEP100 at different levels. High levels of the AMAP1 expression among PyMT-tumor cells were frequently correlated with loss of the epithelial marker CK8 and also with expression of the mesenchymal marker vimentin both at the primary sites and at sites of the lung metastases. PyMT-tumors appear to frequently utilize the Arf6-based invasive machinery, whereas Neu-tumors do not. Our results suggest that MMTV-PyMT mice, rather than MMTV-Neu mice, are useful to study the Arf6-based mammary tumor malignancies, as a representative model of human breast cancer.

Although KRAS and TP53 mutations are major drivers of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the incurable nature of this cancer still remains largely elusive. ARF6 and its effector AMAP1 are often overexpressed in different cancers and regulate the intracellular dynamics of integrins and E-cadherin, thus promoting tumor invasion and metastasis when ARF6 is activated. Here we show that the ARF6–AMAP1 pathway is a major target by which KRAS and TP53 cooperatively promote malignancy. KRAS was identified to promote eIF4A-dependent ARF6 mRNA translation, which contains a quadruplex structure at its 5′-untranslated region, by inducing TEAD3 and ETV4 to suppress PDCD4; and also eIF4E-dependent AMAP1 mRNA translation, which contains a 5′-terminal oligopyrimidine-like sequence, via up-regulating mTORC1. TP53 facilitated ARF6 activation by platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), via its known function to promote the expression of PDGF receptor β (PDGFRβ) and enzymes of the mevalonate pathway (MVP). The ARF6–AMAP1 pathway was moreover essential for PDGF-driven recycling of PD-L1, in which KRAS, TP53, eIF4A/4E-dependent translation, mTOR, and MVP were all integral. We moreover demonstrated that the mouse PDAC model KPC cells, bearing KRAS/TP53 mutations, express ARF6 and AMAP1 at high levels and that the ARF6-based pathway is closely associated with immune evasion of KPC cells. Expression of ARF6 pathway components statistically correlated with poor patient outcomes. Thus, the cooperation among eIF4A/4E-dependent mRNA translation and MVP has emerged as a link by which pancreatic driver mutations may promote tumor cell motility, PD-L1 dynamics, and immune evasion, via empowering the ARF6-based pathway and its activation by external ligands. Significance Pancreatic ductal carcinomas (PDACs) have been extensively studied regarding their genomic alterations, microenvironmental intercommunication, and metabolic reprogramming. However, identification of the protein machinery of tumor cells that eventually drives malignancy as a result of driver mutations, and their associated events, is highly anticipated toward the development of precision medicine. The lack of such information regarding PDACs has hindered the elucidation of mechanisms driving malignancies, leaving them incurable. Here we demonstrated that the 2 well-known pancreatic driver mutations cooperatively activate a specific signaling pathway that promotes tumor invasion and immune evasion properties. Our results provide insights into the molecular basis by which malignancies often develop in parallel with oncogenesis and PDAC cell growth, as well as druggable targets for immunotherapies.

Acquisition of mesenchymal properties by cancer cells is critical for their malignant behaviour, but regulators of the mesenchymal molecular machinery and how it is activated remain elusive. Here we show that clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCCs) frequently utilize the Arf6-based mesenchymal pathway to promote invasion and metastasis, similar to breast cancers. In breast cancer cells, ligand-activated receptor tyrosine kinases employ GEP100 to activate Arf6, which then recruits AMAP1; and AMAP1 then binds to the mesenchymal-specific protein EPB41L5, which promotes epithelial–mesenchymal transition and focal adhesion dynamics. In renal cancer cells, lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) activates Arf6 via its G-protein-coupled receptors, in which GTP-Gα12 binds to EFA6. The Arf6-based pathway may also contribute to drug resistance. Our results identify a specific mesenchymal molecular machinery of primary ccRCCs, which is triggered by a product of autotaxin and it is associated with poor outcome of patients.

Drug resistance, metastasis, and a mesenchymal transcriptional program are central features of aggressive breast tumors. The GTPase Arf6, often overexpressed in tumors, is critical to promote epithelial–mesenchymal transition and invasiveness. The metabolic mevalonate pathway (MVP) is associated with tumor invasiveness and known to prenylate proteins, but which prenylated proteins are critical for MVP-driven cancers is unknown. We show here that MVP requires the Arf6-dependent mesenchymal program. The MVP enzyme geranylgeranyl transferase II (GGT-II) and its substrate Rab11b are critical for Arf6 trafficking to the plasma membrane, where it is activated by receptor tyrosine kinases. Consistently, mutant p53, which is known to support tumorigenesis via MVP, promotes Arf6 activation via GGT-II and Rab11b. Inhibition of MVP and GGT-II blocked invasion and metastasis and reduced cancer cell resistance against chemotherapy agents, but only in cells overexpressing Arf6 and components of the mesenchymal program. Overexpression of Arf6 and mesenchymal proteins as well as enhanced MVP activity correlated with poor patient survival. These results provide insights into the molecular basis of MVP-driven malignancy.

Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of death and repeated hospitalizations and often involves cardiac mitochondrial dysfunction. However, the underlying mechanisms largely remain elusive. Here, using a mouse model in which myocardial infarction (MI) was induced by coronary artery ligation, we show the metabolic basis of mitochondrial dysfunction in chronic HF. Four weeks after ligation, MI mice showed a significant decrease in myocardial succinyl-CoA levels, and this decrease impaired the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) capacity. Heme synthesis and ketolysis, and protein levels of several enzymes consuming succinyl-CoA in these events, were increased in MI mice, while enzymes synthesizing succinyl-CoA from α-ketoglutarate and glutamate were also increased. Furthermore, the ADP-specific subunit of succinyl-CoA synthase was reduced, while its GDP-specific subunit was almost unchanged. Administration of 5-aminolevulinic acid, an intermediate in the pathway from succinyl-CoA to heme synthesis, appreciably restored succinyl-CoA levels and OXPHOS capacity and prevented HF progression in MI mice. Previous reports also suggested the presence of succinyl-CoA metabolism abnormalities in cardiac muscles of HF patients. Our results identified that changes in succinyl-CoA usage in different metabolisms of the mitochondrial energy production system is characteristic to chronic HF, and although similar alterations are known to occur in healthy conditions, such as during strenuous exercise, they may often occur irreversibly in chronic HF leading to a decrease in succinyl-CoA. Consequently, nutritional interventions compensating the succinyl-CoA consumption are expected to be promising strategies to treat HF.

Overexpression of Her2/ErbB2/Neu in cancer is often correlated with recurrent distant metastasis, although the mechanism still remains largely elusive. We have previously shown that EGFR, when tyrosine-phosphorylated, binds to GEP100/BRAG2 to activate Arf6, which induces cancer invasion and metastasis. We now show that overexpressed Her2 in lung adenocarcinoma cells also employs GEP100. Like EGFR-GEP100 binding, this association is primarily mediated by the pleckstrin homology (PH) domain of GEP100 and Tyr1139/Tyr1196 of Her2. Tyr1139/Tyr1196 are autonomously phosphorylated, when Her2 is overexpressed. Accordingly, invasive activities mediated by the Her2-GEP100 pathway are not dependent on external factors. Blocking Her2-GEP100 binding, as well as its signaling pathway all inhibit cancer invasive activities. Moreover, our clinical study indicates that co-overexpression of Her2 with GEP100 in primary lung adenocarcinomas of patients is correlated with the presence of their node-metastasis with a statistical significance. Since the GEP100 PH domain interacts with both Her2 and EGFR, targeting this domain may provide novel cancer therapeutics.