Ovarian Cancer Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Ovarian Cancer, including details on symptoms, causes, treatment, information.

A small interfering RNA screen for modulators of tumor cell motility identifies MAP4K4 as a promigratory kinase.

Collins CS, Hong J, Sapinoso L, Zhou Y, Liu Z, Micklash K, Schultz PG, Hampton GM

Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation, 10675 John Jay Hopkins Drive, San Diego, CA 92121, USA.

Cell motility is a complex biological process, involved in development, inflammation, homeostasis, and pathological processes such as the invasion and metastatic spread of cancer. Here, we describe a genomic screen designed to identify inhibitors of cell migration. A library of 10,996 small interfering RNAs (targeting 5,234 human genes) was screened for their ability to block the migration of a highly motile ovarian carcinoma cell line, SKOV-3, by using a 384-well wound-healing assay coupled with automated microscopy and wound quantification. Two or more small interfering RNAs against four genes, CDK7, DYRK1B, MAP4K4 (NIK/HGK) (MAP4K4, mitogen-activated protein 4 kinase 4), and SCCA-1 (SerpinB3), potently blocked the migration of SKOV-3 cells, concordant with reduced transcript levels. Further studies of the promigratory role of MAP4K4 showed that the knockdown of this transcript inhibited the migration of multiple carcinoma cell lines, indicating a broad role in cell motility and potently suppressed the invasion of SKOV-3 cells in vitro. The effect of MAP4K4 on cellular migration was found to be mediated through c-Jun N-terminal kinase, independent of AP1 activation and downstream transcription. Accordingly, small molecule inhibition of c-Jun N-terminal kinase suppressed SKOV-3 cell migration, underscoring the potential therapeutic utility of mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway inhibition in cancer progression.

Published 15 March 2006 in Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 103(10): 3775-80.
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