Activated K-RAS increases polyamine uptake in human colon cancer cells through modulation of caveolar endocytosis.

Endocytic pathways have been implicated in polyamine transport in mammalian cells, but specific mechanisms have not been described. We have shown that expression of a dominant negative (DN) form of the GTPase Dynamin, but not Eps15, diminished polyamine uptake in colon cancer cells indicating a caveolar and nonclathrin uptake mode. Polyamines co-sediment with lipid raft/caveolin-1 rich fractions, of the plasma membrane in a sucrose density gradient. Knock down of caveolin-1 significantly increased polyamine uptake. Conversely, ectopic expression of this protein resulted in diminished polyamine uptake. We also found that presence of an activated K-RAS oncogene significantly increased polyamine uptake by colon cancer cells. This effect is through an increase in caveolin-1 phosphorylation at tyrosine residue 14. Caveolin-1 is a negative regulator of caveolar endocytosis and phosphorylation in a K-RAS dependent manner leads to an increase in caveolar endocytosis. In cells expressing wild type K-RAS, addition of exogenous uPA was sufficient to stimulate caveolar endocytosis of polyamines. This effect was abrogated by the addition of a SRC kinase inhibitor. These data indicate that polyamine transport follows a dynamin-dependent and clathrin-independent endocytic uptake route, and this route is positively regulated by the oncogenic expression of K-RAS in a caveolin-1 dependent manner.