Abstract 3114: Constitutively active signal transducer and activator of transcription-3: an oncogene that increases gap junctional intercellular communication.

Abstract

Abstract Gap junctions are specialized intercellular channels that connect the cytoplasm of adjacent cells and mediate the direct exchange of small ions and molecules between them. Gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) is usually blocked, or downregulated, in cells transformed by oncogenes, such as Src. One of the Src effector pathways leading to transformation and GJIC suppression is the Ras/Raf/MEK (mitogen-activated protein kinase)/ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) pathway that has a prominent etiological role in cell proliferation, differentiation and cell survival; inhibition of this pathway in vSrc transformed cells restores GJIC. In addition, the distinct downstream effector of Src that is obligatory for neoplasia is the signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (Stat3). Stat3 has the intrinsic characteristic of being upregulated in a range of tumors, and a modified version, the constitutively active form of Stat3 (Stat3C), has been shown to function as an oncogene. Conversely, inhibition of Stat3 can suppress tumor growth. To examine the role of Stat3 upon the Src-mediated, GJIC suppression, Stat3 was downregulated in rat liver epithelial T51B cells expressing activated Src through treatment with the CPA7, Stat3 inhibitor, or through infection with a retroviral vector expressing a Stat3-specific shRNA. The extent of GJIC was determined by electroporating the fluorescent dye, Lucifer yellow, into cells grown on two co-planar electrodes of electrically conductive, optically transparent, indium-tin oxide, followed by observation of the migration of the dye to the adjacent, non-electroporated cells under fluorescence illumination. The results demonstrate that, contrary to inhibition of the Ras pathway, Stat3 inhibition in cells expressing activated Src does not restore GJIC. On the contrary, Stat3 inhibition in normal cells with high GJIC levels eliminated junctional permeability. Interestingly, our results also demonstrate that expression of Stat3C in T51B cells and human lung cancer SK-LuCi6 cells, which have extensive communication and low Src levels, increased GJIC. Therefore Stat3, although it is generally growth promoting and in an activated form can act as an oncogene, its function is actually required for and increases junctional permeability. Citation Format: Aaron Trotman-Grant, Mulu Geletu, Leda Raptis. Constitutively active signal transducer and activator of transcription-3: an oncogene that increases gap junctional intercellular communication. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3114. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-3114