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Network-based identification of feedback modules that control RhoA activity and cell migration Free
Tae-Hwan Kim1,†, Naser Monsefi2,†, Je-Hoon Song1, Alex von Kriegsheim2, Drieke Vandamme2, Olivier Pertz3, Boris N. Kholodenko2,4,5, Walter Kolch2,4,5,*, and Kwang-Hyun Cho1,*
1Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 305-701, Republic of Korea
2Systems Biology Ireland, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
3Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
4School of Medicine and Medical Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
5Conway Institute of Biomolecular & Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland *Correspondence to:Kwang-Hyun Cho, E-mail: ckh@kaist.ac.kr; Walter Kolch, E-mail: walter.kolch@ucd.ie
J Mol Cell Biol, Volume 7, Issue 3, June 2015, 242-252,  https://doi.org/10.1093/jmcb/mjv017
Keyword: cell migration,Rho-family GTPases,signaling network,Boolean network model,cyclical RhoA bursts

Cancer cell migration enables metastatic spread causing most cancer deaths. Rho-family GTPases control cell migration, but being embedded in a highly interconnected feedback network, the control of their dynamical behavior during cell migration remains elusive. To address this question, we reconstructed the Rho-family GTPases signaling network involved in cell migration, and developed a Boolean network model to analyze the different states and emergent rewiring of the Rho-family GTPases signaling network at protrusions and during extracellular matrix-dependent cell migration. Extensive simulations and experimental validations revealed that the bursts of RhoA activity induced at protrusions by EGF are regulated by a negative-feedback module composed of Src, FAK, and CSK. Interestingly, perturbing this module interfered with cyclic Rho activation and extracellular matrix-dependent migration, suggesting that CSK inhibition can be a novel and effective intervention strategy for blocking extracellular matrix-dependent cancer cell migration, while Src inhibition might fail, depending on the genetic background of cells. Thus, this study provides new insights into the mechanisms that regulate the intricate activation states of Rho-family GTPases during extracellular matrix-dependent migration, revealing potential new targets for interfering with extracellular matrix-dependent cancer cell migration.