Kindlin-1 is involved in spreading, migration, and protein regulation in epidermal SCC-13 cells
Abstract
Kindlin-1 is a scaffold protein linking the cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix. Loss of function mutations in the FERMT1 gene (encoding Kindlin-1) cause gastrointestinal and skin defects associated with increased susceptibility to aggressive epidermal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). This study investigated the consequences of targeted FERMT1 inactivation in the SCC-13 cell line of epidermal SCC. My studies demonstrate Kindlin-1 is not essential for SCC-13 proliferation or clonogenic potential in culture. Kindlin-1 was required for cell spreading on collagen I, but not on laminin-332, and its absence enhanced SCC-13 directional migration. Finally, I identified several proteins involved in tumor formation and progression as novel potential targets of Kindlin-1 modulation in SCC-13 cells. To my knowledge, this is the first study evaluating Kindlin-1 function in human epidermal SCC cells, providing novel insights into the role of Kindlin-1 in epidermal carcinomas, which may aid in the development of therapies for cutaneous SCC.