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Activation of Smad signaling enhances collagenase-3 (MMP-13) expression and invasion of head and neck squamous carcinoma cells

Oncogene volume 25, pages 2588–2600 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cells of the head and neck specifically express collagenase-3 (matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13)), the expression of which correlates with their invasion capacity. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) enhances MMP-13 and collagenase-1 (MMP-1) expression and invasion of SCC cells via p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. Here, we have examined the role of Smad signaling in regulating MMP-13 expression and in invasion of head and neck SCC cells. Treatment with TGF-β resulted in activation of Smad2 and Smad3 in SCC cells, but had no effect on their proliferation or viability. Basal activation of Smad3 and p38 was noted in SCC cells without exogenous TGF-β stimulation, and adenoviral delivery of Smad7 and dominant-negative Smad3 inhibited p38 activation in these cells. Adenoviral overexpression of Smad3 augmented the upregulatory effect of TGF-β on MMP-13 expression by SCC cells. Disruption of Smad signaling by adenoviral expression of kinase-defective TGF-β type I receptor (activin-receptor-like kinase-5), Smad7, and dominant-negative Smad3 potently suppressed the basal and TGF-β-induced expression of MMP-13 and MMP-1 in SCC cells, and inhibited their basal and TGF-β-induced invasion through Matrigel and type I collagen. Adenoviral overexpression of Smad7 in cutaneous and oral SCC cells significantly inhibited their implantation in skin of SCID mice and growth of xenografts in vivo, as compared to LacZ adenovirus-transduced control cells. Together, these results show that Smad signaling plays an important role in promoting the invasive phenotype of human head and neck SCC cells by upregulating their collagenase expression.

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Acknowledgements

The expert technical assistance of Sari Pitkänen, Johanna Markola, and Marjo Hakkarainen is gratefully acknowledged. We also thank Drs E Bauer, J Keski-Oja and P Fort for cDNAs and Dr Jarkko Karvinen (Wallac, Perkin Elmer Life and Analytical Sciences, Turku, Finland) for MMP-13 activity assay. This study was supported by grants from the Academy of Finland (Project 45996), Sigrid Jusélius Foundation, the Cancer Research Foundation of Finland, Turku University Central Hospital (Project 13336), by European Union Framework Programme 6 (CANCERDEGRADOME, LSHC-CT-2003-503297), and by a personal grant to S-KL from Research and Science Foundation of Farmos.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and MediCity Research Laboratory, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

    S-K Leivonen, R Ala-aho & V-M Kähäri

  2. Turku Graduate School in Biomedical Sciences, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

    S-K Leivonen

  3. Department of Virology and Department of Pathology, Haartman Institute, and Helsinki University Hospital, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    K Koli

  4. Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Turku University Central Hospital, Turku, Finland

    R Grénman

  5. Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland

    J Peltonen

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  1. S-K Leivonen
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Correspondence to V-M Kähäri.

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Leivonen, SK., Ala-aho, R., Koli, K. et al. Activation of Smad signaling enhances collagenase-3 (MMP-13) expression and invasion of head and neck squamous carcinoma cells. Oncogene 25, 2588–2600 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.onc.1209291

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