ERBB2-mediated transcriptional up-regulation of the alpha5beta1 integrin fibronectin receptor promotes tumor cell survival under adverse conditions

Oncogenic activation of the receptor tyrosine kinase ERBB2 is a key event in the development of a number of epithelial malignancies. In these tumors, high levels of ERBB2 are strongly associated with metastatic disease and poor prognosis. Paradoxically, an inherent cellular response to hypermitogenic signaling by ERBB2 and other oncogenes seems to be growth arrest, rather than proliferation. Molecular characterization of this yet undefined antiproliferative state in independent cell lines overexpressing either wild-type ERBB2 or the mutationally activated receptor unveiled a dramatic induction of the alpha5beta1 integrin fibronectin receptor. alpha5 Integrin up-regulation is mainly a transcriptional response mediated by the hypoxia-inducible transcription factors (HIF), leading to a massive increase in membrane-resident receptor molecules and enhanced fibronectin adhesiveness of the respective cells. Functionally, ERBB2-dependent ligation of fibronectin results in improved survival of mammary adenocarcinoma cells under adverse conditions, like serum withdrawal, hypoxia, and chemotherapy. HIF-1alpha is an independent predictor of poor overall survival in patients with breast cancer. In particular, HIF-1alpha overexpression correlates significantly with early local relapse and distant metastasis, a phenotype also highly characteristic of ERBB2-positive tumors. As HIF-1alpha is known to be stabilized by ERBB2 signaling under normoxic conditions, we propose that alpha5 integrin is a major effector in this regulatory circuit and may represent the molecular basis for the HIF-1alpha-dependent aggressiveness observed in ERBB2-overexpressing breast carcinomas. Hypermitogenic ERBB2 signaling and tumor hypoxia may act synergistically to favor the establishment of chemoresistant dormant micrometastatic cells frequently observed in patients with breast cancer. This new insight could be the basis for additional approaches complementing current cancer therapy.