Mutant p53 regulates cancer cell invasion in complex three-dimensional environments through mevalonate pathway-dependent Rho/ROCK signaling

Certain mutations can confer neomorphic gain of function (GOF) activities to the p53 protein that affect cancer progression. Yet the concept of mutant p53 GOF has been challenged. Here, using various strategies to alter the status of mutant versions of p53 in different cell lines, we demonstrate that mutant p53 stimulates cancer cell invasion in three-dimensional environments. Mechanistically, mutant p53 enhances RhoA/ROCK-dependent cell contractility and cell-mediated extracellular matrix (ECM) re-organization via increasing mevalonate pathway-dependent RhoA localization to the membrane. In line with this, RhoA-dependent pro-invasive activity is also mediated by IDI-1, a mevalonate pathway product. Further, the invasion-enhancing effect of mutant p53 is dictated by the biomechanical properties of the surrounding ECM, thereby adding a cell-independent layer of regulation to mutant p53 GOF activity that is mediated by dynamic reciprocal cell-ECM interactions. Together our findings link mutant p53 metabolic GOF activity with an invasive cellular phenotype in physiologically relevant and context-dependent settings.