Functional interaction between Smad3 and S100A4 (metastatin-1) for TGF-β-mediated cancer cell invasiveness

TGF-beta (transforming growth factor-beta) induces a cytostatic response in most normal cell types. Ill cancer cells, however. it often promotes metastasis, and its high expression is correlated with poor prognosis. Ill the present Study, we show that S100A4, a metastasis-associated protein, also called metastatin-1 can physically and functionally interact with Smad3, all important mediator of TGF-beta signalling. In agreement with its known property, S100A4 binds to Smad3 ill a Ca2+-dependent manner. The S100A4-binding site is located ill the N-terminal region of Smad3. S100A4 call potentiate transcriptional activity of Smad3 and the related Smad2. When exogenously expressed ill MCF10CA1a.cl1, an MCF10-derived breast cancer cell line, S100A4 increases TGF-beta-induced MMP-9 (matrix metalloproteinase-9) expression. On the other depletion of S100A4 by siRNA (small interfering RNA) from the MDA-MB231 cell line results ill attenuation of MMP-9 induction by TGF-beta Consistent with these observations, S100A4 increases cell invasion ability induced by TGF-beta in MCF10CA1a.cl1 cells. and depletion of the protein in MDA-MB-231 cells inhibits it. Because expression of both S100A4 and TGF-beta is highly elevated in many types of malignant tumours, S100A4 and Smad3 may cooperatively increase metastatic activity of some types of cancer cells.