Liprin-α1 is a regulator of vimentin intermediate filament network in the cancer cell adhesion machinery

PPFIA1 is located at the 11q13 region, which is one of the most commonly amplified regions in several epithelial cancers including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and breast carcinoma. Considering the location of PPFIA1 in this amplicon, we examined whether protein encoded by PPFIA1, liprin-α1, possesses oncogenic properties in relevant carcinoma cell lines. Our results indicate that liprin-α1 localizes to different adhesion and cytoskeletal structures to regulate vimentin intermediate filament network, thereby altering the invasion and growth properties of the cancer cells. In non-invasive cells liprin-α1 promotes expansive growth behavior with limited invasive capacity, whereas in invasive cells liprin-α1 has significant impact on mesenchymal cancer cell invasion in three-dimensional collagen. Current results identify liprin-α1 as a novel regulator of the tumor cell intermediate filaments with differential oncogenic properties in actively proliferating or motile cells.