Identification of the Molecular Determinants of Breast Epithelial Cell Polarity
Abstract
Cell polarity is a fundamental property of tissue architecture and loss of polarity has been linked to progression of malignancy in cancer. Both cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions are involved in the establishment and maintenance of cell polarity. However, molecular information on how these interactions and polarity are coordinated and how the integrity of these interactions and polarity are modified in cancer is still limited. Although the Ras family proteins control a wide variety of cellular processes, the function of Rapt, which is most closely related to Ras, remains unclear. The original characterization of Rap tin fibroblasts indicated Rapt antagonizes Ras signal by competing effectors. However, later studies revealed that like Ras, Rapt can stimulate MAPK pathway in several cell types. In addition, recent reports showed that Rap1 stimulates integrin-dependent adhesion of T-cells and regulates the distribution of adherens junctions in Drosophila epithelial cells. I hypothesized that Rap1 could be a potential molecule which coordinates, cell-cell, cell-ECM interactions, and cell polarity in breast epithelial cells. The analyses of malignant breast epithelial cells transfected with dominant-active and dominant-negative form of Rap tin a three-dimensional culture model indicate that Rapt is involved in the regulation of malignant phenotype of breast epithelial cells.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA432143
Entities
People
- Masahiko Itoh
Organizations
- University of California, Berkeley