Breast tumor kinase (Brk/PTK6) mediates advanced cancer phenotypes via SH2-Domain dependent activation of RhoA and aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) signaling

Protein tyrosine kinase 6 (PTK6; also called Brk) is overexpressed in 86% of patients with breast cancer; high PTK6 expression predicts poor outcome. We reported PTK6 induction by HIF/GR complexes in response to either cellular or host stress. However, PTK6-driven signaling events in the context of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remain undefined. In a mouse model of TNBC, manipulation of PTK6 levels (i.e., via knock-out or add-back) had little effect on primary tumor volume, but altered lung metastasis. To delineate the mechanisms of PTK6 downstream signaling, we created kinase-dead (KM) and kinase-intact domain structure mutants of PTK6 via in-frame deletions of the N-terminal SH3 or SH2 domains. While the PTK6 kinase domain contributed to soft-agar colony formation, PTK6 kinase activity was entirely dispensable for cell migration. Specifically, TNBC models expressing a PTK6 variant lacking the SH2 domain (SH2-del PTK6) were unresponsive to growth factor–stimulated cell motility relative to SH3-del, KM, or wild-type PTK6 controls. Reverse-phase protein array revealed that while intact PTK6 mediates spheroid formation via p38 MAPK signaling, the SH2 domain of PTK6 limits this biology, and instead mediates TNBC cell motility via activation of the RhoA and/or AhR signaling pathways. Inhibition of RhoA and/or AhR blocked TNBC cell migration as well as the branching/invasive morphology of PTK6/AhR primary breast tumor tissue organoids. Inhibition of RhoA also enhanced paclitaxel cytotoxicity in TNBC cells, including in a taxane-refractory TNBC model. Implications: The SH2-domain of PTK6 is a potent effector of advanced cancer phenotypes in TNBC via RhoA and AhR, identified herein as novel therapeutic targets in PTK6 breast tumors.