In this study we present evidence that extracellular hsp90α, secreted via exosomes, activates a novel client protein and increases tumor cell motility. Previously published work from our lab and others indicate that extracellular hsp90α contributes to the activation of both MMP-2 [
2] and HER-2 [
26], two proteins involved in cancer metastasis. We now present data indicating that extracellular hsp90α is necessary for the activation of a second protease, plasmin, also involved in tumor metastasis [
27]. Inhibiting extracellular hsp90α
in vivo inhibits both wound healing [
4] and tumor invasion [
17]. Our current findings suggest however that other exosomal proteins may also contribute to these processes. Hsp90α protein alone does not elicit as complete an effect on cell morphology or movement as the addition of exosomes (Figures
3 and
4). Hsp90α binds to tPA and inhibiting hsp90α decreased plasmin activation and cell migration. Therefore, we speculate that hsp90α is part of an extracellular complex including annexin II, tPA and plasminogen that functions to increase cell movement. Annexin II is found in exosomes and has an established role in aggressive tumors and binds both tPA and plasminogen thereby enhancing the conversion of plasminogen to active plasmin [
24]. Extracellular hsp90α increases annexin II at the cell surface in rat aortic cells, leading to an increase in plasmin production in these cells [
23]. Also, cell surface annexin II expression levels are increased in metastatic tumors and it interacts with multiple extracellular proteases that have been implicated in tumor progression [
28]. Although plasmin is known for its role in cellular invasion it has not been well studied in migration, one component of the multi-step process of tumor invasion. Plasmin may be contributing to cell migration by contributing to the local remodelling of the extracellular matrix exposing cryptic cell attachment sites necessary for cellular migration, similar to that seen in smooth muscle cells during wound healing [
29]. It is also possible that plasmin contributes to cell migration by interacting with currently unknown targets.
We suggest that exosome contents are released outside the tumor cell in close proximity to each other and other inactive extracellular pro-invasive proteins such as plasminogen. Once released from the exosomes, extracellular hsp90α assists in the activation of pro-MMP2 as well as plasminogen. Beyond MMP-2 and plasmin it is possible that hsp90α could activate other extracellular proteins as most of the proteins identified by mass spectrometry in this study were found in their inactive pro-forms. It is therefore interesting to speculate that extracellular hsp90α could activate a cassette of proteins that function collectively in cancer cell migration. These proteins would act in concert to enhance breakdown and remodeling of the extracellular matrix and permit the tumor cell to invade its microenvironment. Thus, inhibition of extracellular hsp90α could inhibit a growing number of proteins that are responsible for increased tumor cell movement making extracellular hsp90α an attractive target for drug therapy to limit tumor invasion.