Abstract. Integrin receptors play important roles in or-ganizing the actin-containing cytoskeleton and in signal transduction from the extracellular matrix. The initial steps in integrin function can be analyzed experimentally using beads coated with ligands or anti-integrin antibodies to trigger rapid focal transmembrane responses. A hierarchy of transmembrane actions was identified in this study. Simple integrin aggregation triggered localized transmembrane accumulation of 20 signal transduction molecules, including RhoA, Racl, Ras, Raf, MEK, ERK, and JNK. In contrast, out of eight cytoskeletal molecules tested, only tensin coaccumulated. Integrin aggregation alone was also sufficient to induce rapid activation of the JNK pathway, with kinetics of activation different from those of ERK. The tyrosine kinase inhibitors herbimycin A or genistein blocked both the accumulation of 19 out of 20 signal transduction molecules and JNK-and ERK-mediated signaling. Cytochalasin D had identical effects, whereas three other tyrosine kinase inhibitors did not. The sole exception among signaling molecules was the kinase pp125 FAK which continued to coaggregate with a5131 integrins even in the presence of these inhibitors. Tyrosine kinase inhibition also failed to block the ability of ligand occupancy plus integrin aggregation to trigger transmembrane accumulation of the three cytoskeletal molecules talin, et-actinin, and vinculin; these molecules accumulated even in the presence of cytochalasin D. However, it was necessary to fulfill all four conditions, i.e., integrin aggregation, integrin occupancy, tyrosine kinase activity, and actin cytoskeletal integrity, to achieve integrin-mediated focal accumulation of other cytoskeletal molecules including F-actin and paxillin. Integrins therefore mediate a transmembrane hierarchy of molecular responses.I NTEGRIN receptors for extracellular matrix molecules play central and complex roles in cell interactions. They mediate cell adhesion, migration, and invasion, but they also have a multitude of intracellular effects on the organization of the actin-containing cytoskeleton as well as roles in a variety of signaling processes (for reviews see Hynes, 1992;Sastry and Horwitz, 1993;Juliano and Haskill, 1993;Gumbiner, 1993;Pavalko and Otey, 1994;Schaller and Parsons, 1994;Shattil et al., 1994a;Clark and Brugge, 1995). A complex series of steps leads from initial integrin interactions with an extracellular ligand to transmembrane effects on the localization of cytoskeletal molecules or signaling molecules, to the activation of signaling pathways, and to eventual regulation of gene expression. Identifying distinct mechanisms of integrin responses to extracellular stimuli and patterns in the classes of responding molecules will be crucial for understanding how integrins function.

Integrin receptors mediate cell adhesion, signal transduction, and cytoskeletal organization. How a single transmembrane receptor can fulfill multiple functions was clarified by comparing roles of receptor occupancy and aggregation. Integrin occupancy by monovalent ligand induced receptor redistribution, but minimal tyrosine phosphorylation signaling or cytoskeletal protein redistribution. Aggregation of integrins by noninhibitory monoclonal antibodies on beads induced intracellular accumulations of pp125FAK and tensin, as well as phosphorylation, but no accumulation of other cytoskeletal proteins such as talin. Combining antibody-mediated clustering with monovalent ligand occupancy induced accumulation of seven cytoskeletal proteins, including alpha-actinin, talin, and F-actin, thereby mimicking multivalent interactions with fibronectin or polyvalent peptides. Integrins therefore mediate a complex repertoire of functions through the distinct effects of receptor aggregation, receptor occupancy, or both together.

Abstract. Integrins mediate cell adhesion, migration, and a variety of signal transduction events. These integrin actions can overlap or even synergize with those of growth factors. We examined for mechanisms of collaboration or synergy between integrins and growth factors involving MAP kinases, which regulate many cellular functions. In cooperation with integrins, the growth factors EGF, PDGF-BB, and basic FGF each produced a marked, transient activation of the ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) class of MAP kinase, but only if the integrins were both aggregated and occupied by ligand. Transmembrane accumulation of total tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins, as well as nonsynergistic MAP kinase activation, could be induced by simple integrin aggregation, whereas enhanced transient accumulation of the EGF-receptor substrate eps8 required integrin aggregation and occupancy, as well as EGF treatment. Each type of growth factor receptor was itself induced to aggregate transiently by integrin ligandcoated beads in a process requiring both aggregation and occupancy of integrin receptors, but not the presence of growth factor ligand. Synergism was also observed between integrins and growth factors for triggering tyrosine phosphorylation of EGF, PDGF, and FGF receptors. This collaborative response also required both integrin aggregation and occupancy. These studies identify mechanisms in the signal transduction response to integrins and growth factors that require various combinations of integrin aggregation and ligands for integrin or growth factor receptors, providing opportunities for collaboration between these major regulatory systems. INTEGRINS mediate a wide variety of biological processes by functioning as receptors and transmembrane transducers in cell adhesion, migration, and signal transduction events (Hynes, 1992;Gumbiner, 1993;Clark and Brugge, 1995;Schwartz et al., 1995;Yamada and Miyamoto, 1995;Rosales et al., 1995;Richardson and Parsons, 1995;Parsons, 1996;Ruoslahti, 1996;Gumbiner, 1996). For example, interactions of ligands with integrins can stimulate a variety of signaling events including tyrosine phosphorylation (reviewed by Schwartz et al

The tumor suppressor PTEN is a phosphatase with sequence homology to tensin. PTEN dephosphorylates phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate (PIP 3 ) and focal adhesion kinase (FAK), and it can inhibit cell growth, invasion, migration, and focal adhesions. We

Ovarian cancer is the most frequent cause of cancer death among all gynecologic cancers. We demonstrate here that lysophosphatidic acid (LPA)-induced ectodomain shedding of heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) is a critical to tumor formation in ovarian cancer. We found that among the epidermal growth factor receptor (

Fibronectin and integrins play crucial roles in a variety of morphogenetic processes, in which they mediate cell adhesion, migration, and signal transduction. They induce hierarchical transmembrane organization of cytoskeletal and signaling molecules into multimolecular complexes of more than 30 proteins. Organization of these complexes is a synergistic process dependent on integrin aggregation and occupancy, as well as tyrosine phosphorylation. Integrins also cooperate with growth-factor receptors to enhance signaling. Fibronectin and integrins induce a variety of downstream effects, including enhanced transcription factor activity, induction of over 30 genes (> half novel), and altered expression of over 100 proteins. Fibronectin and integrins therefore trigger a hierarchy of signaling responses involved in regulating processes crucial for normal morphogenesis, including cell adhesion, migration, and specific gene expression.

HB-EGF, a member of the EGF family of growth factors, exerts its

Purpose: Lysophosphatidic acid, which is enriched in the peritoneal fluid of ovarian cancer patients, plays a key role in the progression of ovarian cancer. Lysophosphatidic acid can generate epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signal transactivation involving processing of EGFR ligands by ADAM (a disintegrin and metalloprotease) family metalloproteases. We aimed to investigate the clinical significance of EGFR ligands and ADAM family in the lysophosphatidic acid^induced pathogenesis of ovarian cancer. Experimental Design: We examined the expression of EGFR ligands and ADAM family members in 108 patients with normal ovaries or ovarian cancer, using real-time PCR, immunohistochemistry, and in situ hybridization, and analyzed the clinical roles of these molecules. Statistical analyses of these data were done using the Mann-Whitney test, Kaplan-Meier method, or Spearman's correlation analysis. Results: Large differences in expression were found for heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) and other EGFR ligands and for ADAM 17 and other ADAM family members. HB-EGF expression was significantly increased in advanced ovarian cancer compared with that in normal ovaries (P < 0.01). HB-EGF expression was significantly associated with the clinical outcome (P < 0.01). ADAM17 expression was significantly enhanced in both early and advanced ovarian cancer compared with that in normal ovaries (both P < 0.01), although it had no clinical significance in the progression-free survival. HB-EGF expression was significantly correlated with ADAM 17 expression (c = 0.437, P < 0.01).Conclusions: Our findings suggest that HB-EGF and ADAM 17 contribute to the progression of ovarian cancer and that HB-EGF plays a pivotal role in the aggressive behavior of a tumor in ovarian cancer.