Blocking the Cleavage of Filamin A by Calpain Inhibitor Decreases Tumor Cell Growth

Abstract

Background/aim: Filamin A (FLNA) is the most abundant and widely expressed isoform of filamin in human tissues. It is cleaved by calpain at the hinge 1 and 2 domains, producing a 90-kDa carboxyl-terminal fragment (FLNA^CT). Recently, it has been shown that FLNA^CT mediates cell signaling and transports transcription factors into the cell nucleus. However, the significance of cleavage of FLNA by calpain has not been studied in cancer cell growth. Calpeptin is a chemical inhibitor of both calpain 1 and 2 that cleaves FLNA. In this study, we questioned if inhibiting calpain using calpeptin would decrease tumor cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and colony formation.

Materials and methods: Human melanoma (A7), prostate cancer (PC3), mouse fibrosarcoma (T241) and endothelial (MS1) cells were assayed for proliferation, migration, invasion and colony formation after treatment with calpeptin. Cell lysates were immunoblotted for FLNA and FLNA^CT Results: Calpeptin treatment of these cells resulted in a decreased production of FLNA^CT Calpeptin-treated human and mouse tumor cells displayed impaired proliferation, migration, and colony formation.

Conclusion: These data suggest that the cleavage of FLNA by calpain is an important cellular event in the regulation of tumor cell growth.

Keywords: Calpain; colony formation; migration; proliferation.