Background and objectives: Multiple myeloma is characterized by an accumulation of malignant plasma cells in the bone marrow. Inside the bone marrow, adhesion of myeloma cells to extracellular matrix proteins such as fibronectin may promote cell survival and induce drug resistance. In this work we examined the effect of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) on the adhesion of myeloma cells and the signaling pathways involved.
Design and methods: Cell adhesion experiments were performed with the human myeloma cell line INA-6 and primary myeloma cells. The HGF signaling pathway was studied in INA-6 cells with the use of antibodies against VLA-4 integrin, and with inhibitors of various intracellular signaling molecules.
Results: We found that HGF stimulated adhesion of myeloma cells to fibronectin. This event was dependent on the alpha4 and beta1 integrin subunits (VLA-4), but HGF did not increase the expression of integrins on the cell surface. Our findings suggest that HGF promotes myeloma cells to adhere via activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway independently of AKT, but possibly through the involvement of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB). INA-6 cells adhered to fibronectin after stimulation by insulin-like growth factor or stromal cell-derived factor 1alpha, but this adhesion was less dependent on PI3K than HGF-mediated adhesion.
Interpretation and conclusions: his work points to HGF as a pro-adhesive factor in cell adherence to the bone marrow matrix protein fibronectin, an event known to promote cancer cell survival and drug resistance. Inhibiting HGF, its receptor c-Met or the VLA-4 integrin may be beneficial to the myeloma patient.