Cell shape regulates global histone acetylation in human mammary epithelial cells

Extracellular matrix (ECM) regulates cell morphology and gene expression in vivo; these relationships are maintained in three-dimensional (3D) cultures of mammary epithelial cells. In the presence of laminin-rich ECM (lrECM), mammary epithelial cells round up and undergo global histone deacetylation, a process critical for their functional differentiation. However, it remains unclear whether lrECM-dependent cell rounding and global histone deacetylation are indeed part of a common physical-biochemical pathway. Using 3D cultures as well as nonadhesive and micropatterned substrata, here we showed that the cell 'rounding' caused by lrECM was sufficient to induce deacetylation of histones H3 and H4 in the absence of biochemical cues. Microarray and confocal analysis demonstrated that this deacetylation in 3D culture is associated with a global increase in chromatin condensation and a reduction in gene expression. Whereas cells cultured on plastic substrata formed prominent stress fibers, cells grown in 3D lrECM or on micropatterns lacked these structures. Disruption of the actin cytoskeleton with cytochalasin D phenocopied the lrECM-induced cell rounding and histone deacetylation. These results reveal a novel link between ECM-controlled cell shape and chromatin structure and suggest that this link is mediated by changes in the actin cytoskeleton.     

Extracellular matrix proteins regulate epithelial–mesenchymal transition in mammary epithelial cells

Mouse mammary epithelial cells undergo transdifferentiation via epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) upon treatment with matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP3). In rigid microenvironments, MMP3 upregulates expression of Rac1b, which translocates to the cell membrane to promote induction of reactive oxygen species and EMT. Here we examine the role of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in this process. Our data show that the basement membrane protein laminin suppresses the EMT response in MMP3-treated cells, whereas fibronectin promotes EMT. These ECM proteins regulate EMT via interactions with their specific integrin receptors. α6-integrin sequesters Rac1b from the membrane and is required for inhibition of EMT by laminin. In contrast, α5-integrin maintains Rac1b at the membrane and is required for the promotion of EMT by fibronectin. Understanding the regulatory role of the ECM will provide insight into mechanisms underlying normal and pathological development of the mammary gland.