Genetic deletion or tyrosine phosphatase inhibition of PTPRZ1 activates c-Met to up-regulate angiogenesis and lung adenocarcinoma growth

Protein tyrosine Phosphatase receptor zeta 1 (PTPRZ1) is a transmembrane tyrosine Phosphatase (TP) expressed in endothelial cells and required for stimulation of cell migration by vascular endothelial growth factor A₁₆₅ (VEGFA₁₆₅ ) and pleiotrophin (PTN). It is also over or under-expressed in various tumor types. In this study, we used genetically engineered Ptprz1^-/- and Ptprz1^+/+ mice to study mechanistic aspects of PTPRZ1 involvement in angiogenesis and investigate its role in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) growth. Ptprz1^-/- lung microvascular endothelial cells (LMVEC) have increased angiogenic features compared with Ptprz1^+/+ LMVEC, in line with the increased lung angiogenesis and the enhanced chemically induced LUAD growth in Ptprz1^-/- compared with Ptprz1^+/+ mice. In LUAD cells isolated from the lungs of urethane-treated mice, PTPRZ1 TP inhibition also enhanced proliferation and migration. Expression of beta 3 (β₃ ) Integrin is decreased in Ptprz1^-/- LMVEC, linked to enhanced VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2/KDR/Flk-1), c-Met tyrosine kinase (TK) and Akt kinase activities. However, only c-Met and Akt seem responsible for the enhanced endothelial cell activation in vitro and LUAD growth and angiogenesis in vivo in Ptprz1^-/- mice. A selective PTPRZ1 TP inhibitor, VEGFA₁₆₅ and PTN also activate c-Met and Akt in a PTPRZ1-dependent manner in endothelial cells, and their stimulatory effects are abolished by the c-Met TK inhibitor (TKI) crizotinib. Altogether, our data suggest that low PTPRZ1 expression is linked to worse LUAD prognosis and response to c-Met TKIs and uncover for the first time the role of PTPRZ1 in mediating c-Met activation by VEGFA and PTN.

VEGFA; endothelial cells; hepatocyte growth factor receptor; integrin; pleiotrophin.