Abstract:
Astrocytomas, with their different grades, occur in young adulthood.
Malignant astrocytomas are characterized by uncontrolled proliferation and a high
invasiness profile to adjacent normal regions of the brain. The invasion of
astrocytomas to nearby sites is mediated by the formation of invadopodia which is
regulated mainly by Rho GTPases. Cdc42, a member of the Rho GTPases family,
was shown to be involved in such process in many cell lines.
We aimed first in determining the involvement of Cdc42 in 2D astrocytoma motility.
Our results showed that 2D cell migration is Cdc42 independent. Our current study
also investigated the role of Cdc42 in invadopodia formation in MTLn3 breast cancer
cells and SF268 astrocytoma cells. Our results showed that Cdc42 in required for the
formation of these structures. And finally, we elucidated signaling pathways between
Cdc42, other Rho GTPases and Palladin in SF268 cells. Our findings revealed that
RhoA upregulates Cdc42 activation levels, whereas RhoC and Palladin downregulate
them.
