RECK impedes DNA repair by inhibiting the erbB/JAB1/Rad51 signaling axis and enhances chemosensitivity of breast cancer cells

The reversion-inducing cysteine-rich protein with kazal motif (RECK) is an endogenous matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitor and a tumor suppressor. Its expression is dramatically down-regulated in human cancers. Our recent results suggest a novel MMP-independent anti-cancer activity of RECK by inhibiting the erbB signaling. Activation of the erbB signaling is associated with chemotherapeutic resistance, however, whether RECK could modulate drug sensitivity is still unknown. Here we demonstrated that expression of RECK induced the activation of ATM and ATR pathways, and the formation of γ-H2AX foci in breast cancer cells. RECK inhibited the erbB signaling and attenuated the expression of the downstream molecules Jun activation domain-binding protein 1 (JAB1) and the DNA repair protein RAD51 to impede DNA repair and to increase drug sensitivity. Treatment of epidermal growth factor or over-expression of HER-2 effectively reversed the inhibitory effect of RECK. In addition, ectopic expression of JAB1 counteracted RECK-induced RAD51 reduction and drug sensitization. Our results elucidate a novel function of RECK to modulate DNA damage response and drug resistance by inhibiting the erbB/Jab1/RAD51 signaling axis. Restoration of RECK expression in breast cancer cells may increase sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents.