Molecular Mechanisms of C-CBL on Cytoskeleton-mediated Phenomena

c-Cbl functions as a multifunctional adaptor and an E3 ubiquitin protein ligase. Several studies have shown that c-Cbl is involved in cytoskeleton-mediated events , but the molecular mechanisms linking c-Cbl to cytoskeletal rearrangements remain to be elucidated. To understand the role of c-Cbl in regulation of cytoskeleton-dependent cellular functions, we assessed the roles of endogenous Rac1, RhoA and Rap1 in the c-Cbl-dependent spreading and migration of v-Abl-transformed fibroblasts overexpressing c-Cbl, using RNAi. Glioma invasion is involved in multiple biological processes which are primarily associated with cytoskeleton-mediated events including adhesion, migration, and degradation of extra cellular matrix (ECM). In this study, we examined biological roles of c-Cbl using RNAi-mediated depletion of endogenous c-Cbl and stably c-Cbl expressing glioma cells generated by lentiviral transduction and showed that c-Cbl increases invasion through degradation of ECM by upregulation of MMP2 but not through migration, adhesion, or growth of SNB19 glioblastoma cell line.