Coiled Coil Helix Coiled Coil Helix Domain Containing Protein 2 (CHCHD2)

Cell migration-promoting activity was confirmed by independent migration assays for the retrieved cDNAs, among which further investigation was focused on coiled-coil-helix-coiled-coil-helix domain-containing protein 2 (chchd2). Whereas overexpression of chchd2 promoted cell migration, knockdown of endogenous chchd2 expression reduced cell migration. Chchd2-induced cell migration was associated with augmented formation of actin stress fibers and focal adhesion, which was mediated through Akt, RhoA/ROCK, and Jnk pathways. CHCHD2 protein directly interacted with hyaluronic acid-binding protein 1 (HABP1) that possessed migration-suppressing activity. CHCHD2 and HABP1 may mutually regulate each other to balance cell migration. Thus, chchd2 is a novel cell migration determinant identified by an in vitro functional genetic selection strategy.