Nuclear fascin regulates cancer cell survival

Abstract

Fascin is an important regulator of F-actin bundling leading to enhanced filopodia assembly. Fascin is also overexpressed in most solid tumours where it supports invasion through control of F-actin structures at the periphery and nuclear envelope. Recently fascin has been identified in the nucleus of a broad range of cell types but the contributions of nuclear fascin to cancer cell behaviour remain unknown. Here we demonstrate that fascin bundles F-actin within the nucleus to support chromatin organisation and efficient DNA damage response. Fascin associates directly with phosphorylated Histone H3 leading to regulated levels of nuclear fascin to support these phenotypes. Forcing nuclear fascin accumulation through the expression of nuclear-targeted fascin-specific nanobodies or inhibition of Histone H3 kinases results in enhanced and sustained nuclear F-actin bundling leading to reduced invasion, viability and nuclear fascin-specific/driven apoptosis. These findings represent an additional important route through which fascin can support tumorigenesis and provide insight into potential pathways for targeted fascin-dependent cancer cell killing.