Autotaxin promotes cancer invasion via the lysophosphatidic acid receptor 4: participation of the cyclic AMP/EPAC/Rac1 signaling pathway in invadopodia formation.

The ability of cancer cells to invade and metastasize is the major cause of death in cancer patients. Autotaxin (ATX) is a secreted lysophospholipase whose level of expression within tumors correlates strongly with their aggressiveness and invasiveness. ATX is the major enzyme involved in the production of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), a phospholipid that is known to act mostly through its three first characterized receptors (LPA(1), LPA(2), and LPA(3)).