Online Seminar - ShcA and LPP enhance breast cancer cell migration, invasion and metastasis

Although breast cancer treatment has significantly improved over the last decade, developments in the treatment of metastatic tumors lag behind, with 14 women dying of breast cancer every day. A clearer understanding of the mechanisms controlling cell migration and invasion is needed to identify new therapeutic targets and prevent the spread of primary tumors to distant metastatic sites. In this presentation, we show that the adapter proteins ShcA (p46/52) and lipoma-preferred partner (LPP) are required for TGFβ-induced cell migration and invasion of ErbB2+ breast cancer cells. Both adapter proteins are required for the formation of small, dynamic adhesions and invadopodia following TGFβ stimulation. Furthermore, we show that LPP is a mechanosensitive protein in ErbB2+ cells. Using live-cell microscopy and PDMS substrates of varying stiffness, we demonstrate that ErbB2+ cells require LPP expression to modulate migration speed in response to substrate stiffness. Finally, we show that LPP is also an important regulator of cell migration, invasion and metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer, an especially aggressive subtype with limited therapeutic options.

This seminar will be given online via Zoom. Details in attached poster.