Basuroy S, Dunagan M, Sheth P, Seth A, Rao RK. Hydrogen peroxide activates focal adhesion kinase and c-Src by a phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase-dependent mechanism and promotes cell migration in Caco-2 cell monolayers. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 299: G186-G195, 2010. First published April 8, 2010 doi:10.1152/ajpgi.00368.2009.-Recent studies showed that c-Src and phosphatidylinositol 3 (PI3) kinase mediate the oxidative stress-induced disruption of tight junctions in Caco-2 cell monolayers. The present study evaluated the roles of PI3 kinase and Src kinase in the oxidative stress-induced activation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and acceleration of cell migration. Oxidative stress, induced by xanthine and xanthine oxidase system, rapidly increased phosphorylation of FAK on Y397, Y925, and Y577 in the detergent-insoluble and soluble fractions and increased its tyrosine kinase activity. The PI3 kinase inhibitors, wortmannin and LY294002, and the Src kinase inhibitor, 4-amino-5[chlorophyll]-7-[tbutyl]pyrazolo [3-4-d]pyrimidine, attenuated tyrosine phosphorylation of FAK. Oxidative stress induced phosphorylation of c-Src on Y418 by a PI3 kinase-dependent mechanism, whereas oxidative stress-induced activation of PI3 kinase was independent of Src kinase activity. Hydrogen peroxide accelerated Caco-2 cell migration in a concentration-dependent manner. Promotion of cell migration by hydrogen peroxide was attenuated by LY294002 and PP2. Reduced expression of FAK by siRNA attenuated hydrogen peroxide-induced acceleration of cell migration. The expression of constitutively active c-Src Y527F enhanced cell migration, whereas the expression of dominant negative c-Src K296R/Y528F attenuated hydrogen peroxide-induced stimulation of cell migration. Oxidative stress-induced activation of c-Src and FAK was associated with a rapid increase in the tyrosine phosphorylation and the levels of paxillin and p130 CAS in actin-rich, detergent-insoluble fractions. This study shows that oxidative stress activates FAK and accelerates cell migration in an intestinal epithelium by a PI3 kinase-and Src kinase-dependent mechanism. epithelium; barrier function; cell motility; protein phosphorylation A SIGNIFICANT BODY OF EVIDENCE indicates that oxidative stress disrupts epithelial tight junctions and adherens junctions, leading to an increase in the paracellular permeability in Caco-2 and Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cell monolayers (16 -19). Oxidative stress induces tyrosine phosphorylation of a wide spectrum of proteins, including occludin, zonula occludens-1, E-cadherin, and -catenin and tyrosine kinase inhibitors attenuate the oxidative stress-induced increase in paracellular permeability (1,16,19). Previous studies demonstrated that oxidative stress activates c-Src and phosphatidylinositol (PI3) kinase, and these activities are involved in the oxidative stress-induced disruption of tight junctions and increase in paracellular permeability in Caco-2 and MDCK cell monolayers (2, 23).Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) plays an importan...