Prosaposin inhibits tumor metastasis via paracrine and endocrine stimulation of stromal p53 and Tsp-1

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 106; no. 29; pp. 12115 - 12120
• Main Authors: Kang, Soo-Young, Halvorsen, Ole J, Gravdal, Karsten, Bhattacharya, Nandita, Lee, Jung Min, Liu, Nathan W, Johnston, Brian T, Johnston, Adam B, Haukaas, Svein A, Aamodt, Kristie, Yoo, Sun, Akslen, Lars A, Watnick, Randolph S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Academy of Sciences 21.07.2009; National Acad Sciences
• Subjects: Animals; Biological Sciences; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell lines; Cell nucleus; Endocrine Cells - metabolism; Fibroblasts; Fibroblasts - metabolism; Gene expression; Humans; Lungs; Lymph nodes; Metastasis; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Neoplasm Metastasis - pathology; Organ Specificity; Paracrine Communication; Prostate; Prostate cancer; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc - metabolism; Saposins - metabolism; Stromal cells; Stromal Cells - metabolism; Stromal Cells - pathology; Thrombospondin 1 - metabolism; Tissues; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 - metabolism; Tumors
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0903120106

Metastatic tumors can prepare a distant site for colonization via the secretion of factors that act in a systemic manner. We hypothesized that non- or weakly metastatic human tumor cells may act in an opposite fashion by creating a microenvironment in distant tissues that is refractory to colonization. By comparing cell lines with different metastatic potential, we have identified a tumor-secreted inhibitor of metastasis, prosaposin (Psap), which functions in a paracrine and endocrine fashion by stimulating the expression of thrombospondin-1 (Tsp-1) in fibroblasts present in both primary tumors and distant organs, doing so in a p53-dependent manner. Introduction of Psap in highly metastatic cells significantly reduced the occurrence of metastases, whereas inhibition of Psap production by tumor cells was associated with increased metastatic frequency. In human prostate cancer, decreased Psap expression was significantly associated with metastatic tumors. Our findings suggest that prosaposin, or other agents that stimulate p53 activity in the tumor stroma, may be an effective therapy by inhibition of the metastatic process.