A novel nuclear role for the Vav3 nucleotide exchange factor in androgen receptor coactivation in prostate cancer

Oncogene. 2012 Feb 9;31(6):716-27. doi: 10.1038/onc.2011.273. Epub 2011 Jul 18.

Abstract

Increased androgen receptor (AR) transcriptional activity mediated by coactivator proteins may drive castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) growth. Vav3, a Rho GTPase guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF), is overexpressed in human prostate cancers, particularly in models of CRPC progression. Vav3 coactivates AR in a Vav3 pleckstrin homology (PH) domain-dependent but GEF-independent manner. Ectopic expression of Vav3 in androgen-dependent human prostate cancer cells conferred robust castration-resistant xenograft tumor growth. Vav3 but not a Vav3 PH mutant greatly stimulated interaction between the AR amino and carboxyl termini (N-C interaction), which is required for maximal receptor transcriptional activity. Vav3 was distributed between the cytoplasm and nucleus with nuclear localization-dependent on the Vav3 PH domain. Membrane targeting of Vav3 abolished Vav3 potentiation of AR activity, whereas nuclear targeting of a Vav3 PH mutant rescued AR coactivation, suggesting that nuclear localization is an important function of the Vav3 PH domain. A nuclear role for Vav3 was further demonstrated by sequential chromatin immunoprecipitation assays, which revealed that Vav3 and AR were recruited to the same transcriptional complexes of an AR target gene enhancer. These data demonstrate the importance of Vav3 in CRPC and define a novel nuclear function of Vav3 in regulating AR activity.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Binding Sites / genetics
  • Blotting, Western
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Nucleus / metabolism*
  • Chromatin Immunoprecipitation
  • Cytoplasm / metabolism
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / genetics
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Metribolone / pharmacology
  • Mice
  • Mice, SCID
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • Mutation
  • Orchiectomy
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / genetics
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / pathology
  • Protein Binding / drug effects
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-vav / genetics
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-vav / metabolism*
  • Receptors, Androgen / genetics
  • Receptors, Androgen / metabolism*
  • Trans-Activators / genetics
  • Trans-Activators / metabolism
  • Transplantation, Heterologous
  • Tumor Burden

Substances

  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-vav
  • Receptors, Androgen
  • Trans-Activators
  • VAV3 protein, human
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins
  • Metribolone