α_vβ₃ integrin expression up-regulates cdc2, which modulates cell migration

The α_vβ₃ integrin has been shown to promote cell migration through activation of intracellular signaling pathways. We describe here a novel pathway that modulates cell migration and that is activated by α_vβ₃ and, as downstream effector, by cdc2 (cdk1). We report that α_vβ₃ expression in LNCaP (β₃-LNCaP) prostate cancer cells causes increased cdc2 mRNA levels as evaluated by gene expression analysis, and increased cdc2 protein and kinase activity levels. We provide three lines of evidence that increased levels of cdc2 contribute to a motile phenotype on integrin ligands in different cell types. First, increased levels of cdc2 correlate with more motile phenotypes of cancer cells. Second, ectopic expression of cdc2 increases cell migration, whereas expression of dominant-negative cdc2 inhibits migration. Third, cdc2 inhibitors reduce cell migration without affecting cell adhesion. We also show that cdc2 increases cell migration via specific association with cyclin B2, and we unravel a novel pathway of cell motility that involves, downstream of cdc2, caldesmon. cdc2 and caldesmon are shown here to localize in membrane ruffles in motile cells. These results show that cdc2 is a downstream effector of the α_vβ₃ integrin, and that it promotes cell migration.