Creatine kinase B, a downstream effector of c-Myb, controls migration of osteosarcoma cells via regulation of N-cadherin

TL;DR

This study shows that creatine kinase B, controlled by c-Myb, influences osteosarcoma cell migration and metastasis through N-cadherin.

Contribution

The study identifies a novel c-Myb–CKB–N-cadherin pathway regulating osteosarcoma metastasis.

Findings

CKB depletion reduces OSA cell migration and metastasis in mice.

N-cadherin is a key target of CKB signaling in OSA cells.

CKB knockout alters hundreds of proteins linked to cell migration.

Abstract

We have recently identified transcription factor c-Myb as a negative prognostic factor in osteosarcoma (OSA) patients associated with metastatic disease. Transcriptomic analysis identified creatine kinase B (CKB) as one of the most deregulated genes in OSA cell lines with depleted MYB. CKB is a component of the creatine/phosphocreatine system that plays a key role in maintaining cellular energy homeostasis and energy transport to sites with high demand. This study was therefore conducted to investigate the functional significance of CKB in OSA.

Deregulation of CKB by c-Myb in OSA cells was analyzed using gain-of-function/loss-of-function approach. Transactivation of the CKB promoter by c-Myb was assessed using a reporter assay. CRISPR/Cas9, RNAi and cyclocreatine were used to inhibit the expression/activity of CKB in OSA cells. Cell growth, colony-forming capacity, cell migration, chemosensitivity in vitro and metastatic capacity in vivo was examined. CKB protein effectors were identified using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) in data-independent acquisition-parallel accumulation serial fragmentation mode.

CKB was validated as c-Myb target in OSA cell lines. Depletion of CKB using CRISPR/Cas9 resulted in slower migration of OSA cells in vitro and reduced metastatic capacity in immunodeficient mice. siRNA and cyclocreatine inhibited OSA cell migration as well but in this case, cell proliferation was also reduced. A total of 8474 protein groups were quantified, with 147 downregulated and 143 upregulated protein groups associated with the CKB knockout phenotype. The deregulated proteins were enriched for those associated with cell migration and motility. N-cadherin, an established regulator of cell migration, was identified as a target of CKB signaling and its role in OSA cell migration and metastasis was confirmed.

c-Myb – CKB – N-cadherin axis was identified as pathway regulating OSA cell migration and metastasis.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12935-025-04087-0.

Figures