FGF9, a potent mitogen, is a new ligand for integrin αvβ3, and the FGF9 mutant defective in integrin binding acts as an antagonist

FGF9 is a potent mitogen and survival factor, but FGF9 protein level is generally low and restricted to a few adult organs. Aberrant expression of FGF9 usually results in cancer. However, the mechanism of FGF9 action has not been fully established. Previous studies showed that FGF1 and FGF2 directly bind to integrin αvβ3 and this interaction is critical for signaling functions (FGF-integrin crosstalk). FGF1 and FGF2 mutants defective in integrin binding were defective in signaling, whereas the mutants still bound to FGFR, and suppressed angiogenesis and tumor growth, indicating that they act as antagonists. We hypothesize that FGF9 requires direct integrin binding for signaling. Here we show that docking simulation of interaction between FGF9 and αvβ3 predicted that FGF9 binds to the classical ligand-binding site of αvβ3. We showed that FGF9 actually bound to integrin αvβ3, and generated an FGF9 mutants in the predicted integrin-binding interface. An FGF9 mutant (R108E) was defective in integrin binding, activating FRS2α and ERK1/2, inducing DNA synthesis, cancer cell migration, and invasion in vitro. R108E suppressed DNA synthesis induced by WT FGF9 and suppressed DNA synthesis and activation of FRS2α and ERK1/2 induced by WT FGF9 (dominant-negative effect). These findings indicate that FGF9 requires direct integrin binding for signaling and that R108E has potential as an antagonist to FGF9 signaling.