The scaffold RhoGAP protein ARHGAP8/BPGAP1 synchronizes Rac and Rho signaling to facilitate cell migration

Mol Biol Cell. 2023 Mar 1;34(3):ar13. doi: 10.1091/mbc.E21-03-0099. Epub 2023 Jan 4.

Abstract

Rho GTPases regulate cell morphogenesis and motility under the tight control of guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs). However, the underlying mechanism(s) that coordinate their spatiotemporal activities, whether separately or together, remain unclear. We show that a prometastatic RhoGAP, ARHGAP8/BPGAP1, binds to inactive Rac1 and localizes to lamellipodia. BPGAP1 recruits the RacGEF Vav1 under epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulation and activates Rac1, leading to polarized cell motility, spreading, invadopodium formation, and cell extravasation and promotes cancer cell migration. Importantly, BPGAP1 down-regulates local RhoA activity, which influences Rac1 binding to BPGAP1 and its subsequent activation by Vav1. Our results highlight the importance of BPGAP1 in recruiting Vav1 and Rac1 to promote Rac1 activation for cell motility. BPGAP1 also serves to control the timing of Rac1 activation with RhoA inactivation via its RhoGAP activity. BPGAP1, therefore, acts as a dual-function scaffold that recruits Vav1 to activate Rac1 while inactivating RhoA to synchronize both Rho and Rac signaling in cell motility. As epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), Vav1, RhoA, Rac1, and BPGAP1 are all associated with cancer metastasis, BPGAP1 could provide a crucial checkpoint for the EGFR-BPGAP1-Vav1-Rac1-RhoA signaling axis for cancer intervention.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Cell Movement*
  • ErbB Receptors / metabolism
  • GTPase-Activating Proteins* / metabolism
  • Humans
  • rac1 GTP-Binding Protein / metabolism
  • rho GTP-Binding Proteins / metabolism

Substances

  • ARHGAP8 protein, human
  • ErbB Receptors
  • GTPase-Activating Proteins
  • rac1 GTP-Binding Protein
  • rho GTP-Binding Proteins
  • rho GTPase-activating protein