MCPIP1 regulates focal adhesion kinase and Rho GTPase-dependent migration in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Metastasis is responsible for as many as 90% of cancer-associated deaths in patients. The metastatic process is a result of tumor cell migration and invasion associated with morphological changes and increased expression of several genes involved in cell migration. We have already shown that monocyte chemotactic protein-1-induced protein-1 (MCPIP1), a negative regulator of inflammatory processes, influences cell morphology, prevents the epithelial to mesenchymal transition program, and regulates metastasis in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). However, the mechanism by which MCPIP1 influences cell migratory potential is unknown. In this study, we investigated how MCPIP1 affects ccRCC cell migration. We showed that MCPIP1 prevents morphological transformation and drastically reduces the migration of ccRCC cells. MCPIP1 decreases the levels of Rho GTPases and reduces the phosphorylation of FAK at Tyr-397 and Tyr-861 and Src at Tyr-418. The loss of MCPIP1 RNase activity results in actin remodeling, an increase in the levels of Rho proteins and the phosphorylation of FAK on Tyr-397, which leads to Tyr-418 Src phosphorylation and an increase in migration activity. Moreover, we observed increased expression of IL-1 beta in ccRCC cells and tumors lacking MCPIP1 RNase activity. Additionally, microarray analysis of tissues from patients with ccRCC revealed changes in the expression of several genes correlated with migration as tumor progression occurred. This study indicates an important role of MCPIP1 as a regulator of migratory potential in ccRCC.