KiSS1 suppresses TNFα-induced breast cancer cell invasion via an inhibition of RhoA-mediated NF-κB activation

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) induces cancer development and metastasis, which is prominently achieved by nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) activation. TNFα-induced NF-κB activation enhances cellular mechanisms including proliferation, migration, and invasion. KiSS1, a key regulator of puberty, was initially discovered as a tumor metastasis suppressor. The expression of KiSS1 was lost or down-regulated in different metastatic tumors. However, it is unclear whether KiSS1 regulates TNFα-induced NF-κB activation and further tumor cell migration. In this study, we demonstrate that KiSS1 suppresses the migration of breast cancer cells by inhibiting TNFα-induced NF-κB pathway and RhoA activation. Both KiSS1 overexpression and KP10 (kisspeptin-10) stimulation inhibited TNFα-induced NF-κB activity, suppressed TNFα-induced cell migration and cell attachment to fibronectin in breast cancer cells while KP10 has little effect on cancer cell proliferation. Furthermore, KP10 inhibited TNFa-induced cell migration and RhoA GTPase activation. Therefore, our data demonstrate that KiSS1 inhibits TNFα-induced NF-κB activation via downregulation of RhoA activation and suppression of breast cancer cell migration and invasion.