Afadin/AF6, an
F-actin-binding protein, is ubiquitously expressed in epithelia and has a key role during development, through its regulatory role in cell-cell junction organization.
Afadin loss of expression in 15% of
breast carcinoma is associated with adverse prognosis and increased risk of metastatic relapse. To determine the role of
afadin in
breast cancer, we studied the functional consequences of
afadin protein extinction using in vitro and in vivo models. Three different
breast cancer cell lines representative of the major molecular subtypes were stably repressed for
afadin expression (knockdown of
afadin (
afadin KD)) using RNA interference. Collective and individual migrations as well as
Matrigel invasion were markedly increased in
afadin KD cells. Heregulin-β1 (HRG-β1)-induced migration and invasion were increased by twofold in
afadin KD cells. Conversely, ectopic expression of
afadin in the
afadin-negative T47D cell line inhibited spontaneous and HRG-β1-induced migrations. RAS/MAPK and
SRC kinase pathways were activated in
afadin KD cells. Activation levels positively correlated with migration and invasion strength. Use of MEK1/2 (
U0126) and
SRC kinases (
SU6656) inhibitors reduced
afadin-dependent migration and invasion.
Afadin extinction in the SK-BR-3 cell line markedly accelerated
tumor growth development in mouse mammary gland and lung
metastasis formation. These results may explain why the loss of
afadin expression in
tumors correlates with high
tumor size and poor
metastasis-free survival in patients.