PI3Kgamma activation by CXCL12 regulates tumor cell adhesion and invasion.

Tumor dissemination is a complex process, in which certain steps resemble those in leukocyte homing. Specific chemokine/chemokine receptor pairs have important roles in both processes. CXCL12/CXCR4 is the most commonly expressed chemokine/chemokine receptor pair in human cancers, in which it regulates cell adhesion, extravasation, metastatic colonization, angiogenesis, and proliferation. All of these processes require activation of signaling pathways that include G proteins, phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K), JAK kinases, Rho GTPases, and focal adhesion-associated proteins. We analyzed these pathways in a human melanoma cell line in response to CXCL12 stimulation, and found that PI3Kgamma regulates tumor cell adhesion through mechanisms different from those involved in cell invasion. Our data indicate that, following CXCR4 activation after CXCL12 binding, the invasion and adhesion processes are regulated differently by distinct downstream events in these signaling cascades.

Ligand stabilization of CXCR4/delta-opioid receptor heterodimers reveals a mechanism for immune response regulation.

The CXCR4 chemokine receptor and the delta opioid receptor (DOR) are pertussis toxin-sensitive G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR). Both are widely distributed in brain tissues and immune cells, and have key roles in inflammation processes and in pain sensation on proximal nerve endings. We show that in immune cells expressing CXCR4 and DOR, simultaneous addition of their ligands CXCL12 and [D-Pen2, D-Pen5]enkephalin does not trigger receptor function. This treatment does not affect ligand binding or receptor expression, nor does it promote heterologous desensitization. Our data indicate that CXCR4 and DOR form heterodimeric complexes that are dynamically regulated by the ligands. This is compatible with a model in which GPCR oligomerization leads to suppression of signaling, promoting a dominant negative effect. Knockdown of CXCR4 and DOR signaling by heterodimerization might have repercussions on physiological and pathological processes such as inflammation, pain sensation and HIV-1 infection.

Chemokines integrate JAK/STAT and G-protein pathways during chemotaxis and calcium flux responses.

The JAK/STAT (Janus kinase / signaling transducer and activator of transcription) signaling pathway is implicated in converting stationary epithelial cells to migratory cells. In mammals, migratory responses are activated by chemoattractant proteins, including chemokines. We found that by binding to seven-transmembrane G-protein-coupled receptors, chemokines activate the JAK/STAT pathway to trigger chemotactic responses. We show that chemokine-mediated JAK/STAT activation is critical for G-protein induction and for phospholipase C-beta dependent Ca(2+) flux; in addition, pharmacological inhibition of JAK or mutation of the JAK kinase domain causes defects in both responses. Furthermore, G alpha(i) association with the receptor is dependent on JAK activation, and the chemokine-mediated Ca(2+) flux that requires phospholipase C-beta activity takes place downstream of JAK kinases. The chemokines thus employ a mechanism that links heterologous signaling pathways--G proteins and tyrosine kinases--in a network that may be essential for mediating their pleiotropic responses.