β-Adrenergic receptors suppress Rap1B prenylation and promote the metastatic phenotype in breast cancer cells.

A greater understanding of the molecular basis of breast cancer metastasis will lead to identification of novel therapeutic targets and better treatments. Rap1B is a small GTPase that suppresses the metastasis of breast cancer cells by increasing cell-cell adhesion. In breast cancer, a decrease in Rap1B prenylation and subsequent loss of Rap1B at the plasma membrane decreases cell-cell adhesion and increases cell scattering, which promotes the metastatic phenotype. Protein kinase A (PKA) was recently found to phosphorylate Rap1B and inhibit its prenylation. PKA is activated by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) that stimulate Gαs. In this study, we investigated whether the general Gαs activator, cholera toxin, and agonists of the β-adrenergic receptor (βAR), which is a Gαs-coupled GPCR, promote Rap1B phosphorylation and inhibit its prenylation. We show here that cholera toxin and βAR activation phosphorylate Rap1B and inhibit its prenylation and membrane localization, reducing cell-cell adhesion and promoting cell scattering. Furthermore, we report that breast cancer cell migration is decreased by the FDA-approved β-blocker, propranolol. Pharmacological targeting of GPCRs, especially those such as the βAR that are regulated by FDA-approved drugs, to increase cell adhesion and decrease cell scattering could provide a promising therapeutic approach to reduce breast cancer metastasis.