Nav1.5 regulates breast tumor growth and metastatic dissemination in vivo.

Abstract	Voltage-gated Na+ channels (VGSCs) mediate action potential firing and regulate adhesion and migration in excitable cells. VGSCs are also expressed in cancer cells. In metastatic breast cancer (BCa) cells, the Nav1.5 α subunit potentiates migration and invasion. In addition, the VGSC-inhibiting antiepileptic drug phenytoin inhibits tumor growth and metastasis. However, the functional activity of Nav1.5 and its specific contribution to tumor progression in vivo has not been delineated. Here, we found that Nav1.5 is up-regulated at the protein level in BCa compared with matched normal breast tissue. Na+ current, reversibly blocked by tetrodotoxin, was retained in cancer cells in tumor tissue slices, thus directly confirming functional VGSC activity in vivo. Stable down-regulation of Nav1.5 expression significantly reduced tumor growth, local invasion into surrounding tissue, and metastasis to liver, lungs and spleen in an orthotopic BCa model. Nav1.5 down-regulation had no effect on cell proliferation or angiogenesis within the in tumors, but increased apoptosis. In vitro, Nav1.5 down-regulation altered cell morphology and reduced CD44 expression, suggesting that VGSC activity may regulate cellular invasion via the CD44-src-cortactin signaling axis. We conclude that Nav1.5 is functionally active in cancer cells in breast tumors, enhancing growth and metastatic dissemination. These findings support the notion that compounds targeting Nav1.5 may be useful for reducing metastasis.
Authors	Michaela Nelson, Ming Yang, Rebecca Millican-Slater, William J Brackenbury
Journal	Oncotarget (Oncotarget) Vol. 6 Issue 32 Pg. 32914-29 (Oct 20 2015) ISSN: 1949-2553 [Electronic] United States
PMID	26452220 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
Chemical References	NAV1.5 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel SCN5A protein, human
Topics	Animals Breast Neoplasms (genetics, metabolism, pathology) Cell Line, Tumor Cell Proliferation (physiology) Female Heterografts Humans Mice Mice, Transgenic NAV1.5 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel (metabolism) Neoplasm Metastasis

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