Upregulation and dephosphorylation of cofilin: Modulation by CD44 variant isoform in human colon cancer cells

Colon cancer is among the leading causes of cancer death in North America. Dysregulation of the crypt homeostasis is evident in the early stage of colon cancer. Moreover, cytoskeletal rearrangement of actin also plays a crucial role in morphological changes during apoptosis. CD44, an adhesion and anti-apoptotic molecule is overexpressed in colon cancer and is known to interact with certain cytoskeletal proteins. In this study, we used the human colon cancer cell line SW620, which does not express CD44 but stably transfected with standard, 3-10v and 8-10v variant isoforms of CD44. By two-dimensional isoelectric focusing (2DIEF), we found an increasing concentration of a 21-kDa protein in SW620 colon cancer cells transfected with CD44 3-10v, as compared to cells transfected with an empty vector. Mass spectrometry (MS) and proteomic analysis of this protein identified the peptide fragment (YALYDATYETK) of 11 amino acids in length spanning residue 82 to 92 of cofilin, a widely distributed 21-kDa actin-modulating protein. Western blot analysis of lysates from cells expressing CD44 variant isoforms 3-10v had increased level of expression of cofilin compared to vector control consistent with our finding by 2DIEF. Also, immunocytochemistry showed that cofilin expression in colonic epithelial cells was greater in cells transfected with CD44 3-10v, as compared to vector controls. We observed that the phosphorylated form of cofilin is downregulated in cells expressing the 3-10v isoform of CD44 both by Western blot and immunocytochemistry. Cofilin expression is thus mechanistically associated with CD44 expression and its 3-10v isoform. Dephosphorylation of cofilin could bring about directional motility of cells that could have important implications to the proliferation and motility of colonic epithelial cells in cancer.