Carboxyl-terminal Src kinase homologous kinase negatively regulates the chemokine receptor CXCR4 through YY1 and impairs CXCR4/CXCL12 (SDF-1alpha)-mediated breast cancer cell migration.

Using microarray gene analysis, we found that carboxyl-terminal Src kinase homologous kinase (CHK) regulated the expression of the chemokine receptor, CXCR4. Northern blot and fluorescence-activated cell-sorting analyses showed that CHK down-regulated CXCR4 mRNA and protein levels, respectively. Mutated CHK, which contains a mutation within the ATP binding site of CHK, failed to inhibit CXCR4 expression, thus suggesting that CHK kinase activity is involved in the regulation of CXCR4. Results from gel shift analysis indicated that CHK regulates CXCR4 transcriptional activity by altering YY1 binding to the CXCR4 promoter. Whereas CHK had no significant effects on the expression of YY1, c-Myc, Max, and other YY1-binding proteins, CHK was found to modulate the YY1/c-Myc association. Furthermore, CHK inhibited CXCR4-positive breast cancer cell migration. Taken together, these studies show a novel mechanism by which CHK down-regulates CXCR4 through the YY1 transcription factor, leading to decreased CXCR4-mediated breast cancer cell motility and migration.