Pharmacological targeting of CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling in prostate cancer bone metastasis

BACKGROUND: The CXCL12/CXCR4 axis transactivates HER2 and promotes intraosseous tumor growth. To further explore the transactivation of HER2 by CXCL12, we investigated the role of small GTP protein G(αi2) in Src and HER2 phosphorylation in lipid raft membrane microdomains and the significance of CXCR4 in prostate cancer bone tumor growth. METHODS: We used a variety of methods such as lipid raft isolation, invasion assays, an in vivo model of intratibial tumor growth, bone histomorphometry, and immunohistochemistry to determine the role of CXCR4 signaling in lipid raft membrane microdomains and effects of targeting of CXCR4 for bone tumor growth. RESULTS: We determined that (a) CXCL12/CXCR4 transactivation of EGFR and HER2 is confined to lipid raft membrane microdomains, (b) CXCL12 activation of HER2 and Src is mediated by small GTP proteins in lipid rafts, (c) inhibition of the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis through plerixafor abrogates the initial establishment of tumor growth without affecting the growth of established bone tumors, and (d) inhibition of EGFR signaling through gefitinib leads to inhibition of established bone tumor growth. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that lipid raft membrane microdomains are key sites for CXCL12/CXCR4 transactivation of HER2 via small GTP binding protein G(αi2) and Src kinase. The initial establishment of prostate cancer is supported by the endosteal niche, and blocking the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis of this niche along with its downstream signaling severely compromises initial establishment of tumors in the bone microenvironment, whereas expanding bone tumors are sensitive only to the members of growth factor receptor inhibition. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12943-016-0552-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.