hirudin and Colonic-Neoplasms

Coagulation has long been known to facilitate metastasis. To pinpoint the steps where coagulation might play a role in the metastasis, we used three-dimensional visualization of direct infusion of fluorescence labeled antibody to observe the interaction of tumor cells with platelets and fibrinogen in isolated lung preparations. Tumor cells arrested in the pulmonary vasculature were associated with a clot composed of both platelets and fibrin(ogen). Initially, the cells attached to the pulmonary vessels were rounded. Over the next 2 to 6 hours, they spread on the vessel surface. The associated clot was lysed coincident with tumor cell spreading. To assess the importance of clot formation, we inhibited coagulation with hirudin, a potent inhibitor of thrombin. The number of tumor cells initially arrested in the lung of hirudin-treated mice was essentially the same as in control mice. However, tumor cell spreading and subsequent retention of the tumor cells in the lung was markedly inhibited in the anticoagulated mice. These associations of the tumor cells with platelets were independent of tumor cell expression of P-selectin ligands. This work identifies tumor cell spreading onto the vascular surface as an important component of the metastatic cascade and implicates coagulation in this process.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Animals; Blood Coagulation; Blood Platelets; Cell Communication; Cell Line, Tumor; Colonic Neoplasms; Fibrinogen; Fibrosarcoma; Hirudins; Humans; Lung; Lung Neoplasms; Melanoma; Melanoma, Experimental; Mice; Mice, Nude; Neoplasm Metastasis; Neoplasms; Neoplastic Cells, Circulating; Rats; Thrombin

The traditional view on the role of serine proteases in tumor biology has changed with the recent discovery of a family of protease-activated receptors (PARs). In this study we explored the expression and functional role of the thrombin receptor PAR-1 in human colon cancer cells. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that PAR-1 mRNAs are present in 11 of 14 human colon cancer cell lines tested but not in normal human colonic epithelial cells. This is in line with the immunolocalization of PAR-1 in human colon tumors and its absence in normal human colonic mucosa. The functional significance of the aberrant expression of PAR-1 in colon cancer cells was then investigated. We found that 1) a prompt increase in intracellular calcium concentration was observed on thrombin (10 nmol/L) or PAR-1 agonist AP1 (100 micro mol/L) challenge of HT29 cells; 2) HT29 quiescent cells treated with thrombin (0.01 to 20 nmol/L) or AP1 (1 to 300 micro mol/L) exhibited dramatic mitogenic responses (3.5-fold increase in cell number). Proliferative effects of thrombin or AP1 were also observed in other colon cancer cell lines expressing PAR-1. This effect was reversed by the MEK inhibitor PD98059 in consonance with the ability of thrombin or AP1 to induce phosphorylation of p42/p44 extracellular-regulated protein kinases. 3) PAR-1 activation by thrombin or AP1 led to a two-fold increase in cell motility of wounded HT29-D4. Our results demonstrate for the first time the aberrant expression of the functional thrombin receptor PAR-1 in colon cancers and its important involvement in cell proliferation and motility. Thrombin should now be considered as a growth factor for human colon cancer.

Topics: Calcium; Cell Division; Cell Movement; Colonic Neoplasms; Enzyme Inhibitors; Flavonoids; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Hirudins; Humans; Kinetics; Receptor, PAR-1; Receptors, Thrombin; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Thrombin; Tumor Cells, Cultured

SW-480 cells, derived from a primary human colon adenocarcinoma, caused dose-dependent platelet aggregation in heparinized human platelet-rich plasma. SW-480 tumour cell-induced platelet aggregation (TCIPA) was completely inhibited by hirudin (5 U/ml) but unaffected by apyrase (10 U/ml). This TCIPA was also unaffected by cysteine proteinase inhibition with E-64 (10 microM) but was limited by cell pretreatment with phospholipase A2. SW-480 cell suspension caused marked dose-dependent decreases in plasma recalcification times using normal, factor VIII-deficient and factor IX-deficient human plasma. This effect was potentiated with cell lysates but inhibited in intact cells pretreated with sphingosine. SW-480 cell suspension did not affect the recalcification time of factor VII-deficient plasma. Moreover, monoclonal antibody against human tissue factor completely abolished SW-480 TCIPA. Taken together, these data suggest that SW-480 TCIPA arises from SW-480 tissue factor activity expression. Trigramin and rhodostomin, RGD-containing snake venom peptides, which antagonize the binding of fibrinogen to platelet membrane glycogen IIb/IIIa, prevented SW-480 TCIPA. Likewise, synthetic peptide GRGDS as well as monoclonal antibodies against platelet membrane glycoprotein IIb/IIIa and Ib prevent SW-480 TCIPA, which was unaffected by control peptide GRGES. On a molar basis, trigramin (IC50 0.09 microM) and rhodostomin (IC50 0.03 microM) were about 6000 and 18,000 times, respectively, more potent than GRGDS (IC50 0.56 mM).

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Apyrase; Calcium; Colonic Neoplasms; Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors; Fibrinogen; Hirudins; Humans; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Kinetics; Peptides; Phospholipases A; Phospholipases A2; Platelet Aggregation; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; Tumor Cells, Cultured

We studied the effects on platelet function of cells isolated from freshly dissociated human tumor tissues (11 breast carcinomas, 9 colon carcinomas and 1 lymph node metastasis from melanoma) obtained at surgery as compared with cultured human tumor cells: namely, human melanoma 1402 cell line derived from a primary tumor and two lines derived from lymph node metastases (ME 7110/2 and Me 665/1) as well as a human hepatoma cell line (Hep G2). The three melanoma cell lines activated platelets by producing ADP, as evidenced by the inhibitory effect of apyrase and by the direct measurement of the agonist in the supernatants of tumor cell suspensions; this production was much greater by the cells derived from metastases than by the cells derived from the primary tumor. On the other hand, aggregation induced by Hep G2 hepatoma cells was unaffected by apyrase and was inhibited by hirudin or concanavalin A, suggesting that the cells aggregate platelets by producing thrombin, probably through tissue factor activity of the cells themselves. Cells isolated from 16 of the 21 human tumor tissues possessed a potent platelet-aggregating effect, which was not inhibited by apyrase, hirudin or concanavalin A, but was virtually abolished by the cysteine protease inhibitors iodoacetic acid or p-hydroxymercuri-phenylsulfonate. Collectively, our data demonstrate that cells isolated from freshly dissociated tumor tissues activate platelets through tumor-associated cysteine proteinases rather than by the ADP- or thrombin-dependent mechanisms characteristic of cultured human tumor cell lines.

Topics: Adenosine Diphosphate; Adult; Apyrase; Blood Platelets; Breast Neoplasms; Cell Communication; Cell Separation; Colonic Neoplasms; Concanavalin A; Cysteine Endopeptidases; Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors; Hirudins; Humans; Melanoma; Platelet Aggregation; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Involvement of platelet membrane glycoproteins (GP) in interactions between platelets and tumor cells was studied by using two human tumor cell lines and two monoclonal antibodies against platelet membrane GP. HMV-I cells derived from vaginal melanoma induced platelet aggregation in heparinized plasma, which was not followed by coagulation. M7609 cells derived from colon adenocarcinoma also induced platelet aggregation in heparinized plasma, which, on the contrary, was followed by coagulation. Aggregating activities of the HMV-I cells were abolished by pretreatment with neuraminidase or trypsin, but M7609 activity was not labile to these enzymes. Aggregations induced by M7609 were inhibited by hirudin or MD805, while those by HMV-I were not. M7609 cells dose dependently shortened the recalcification time of normal as well as Factor IX-deficient plasmas, while they were not effective in shortening the time of Factor II- or Factor VII-deficient plasmas. The procoagulant activity of HMV-I cells was 1000 times less than M7609 on the basis of cell numbers. When human platelets were preincubated with monoclonal anti-GPIb or anti-GPIIb/IIIa complex antibodies, neither cell line could cause aggregations. These findings suggest that both GPIb and the GPIIb/IIIa complex on the platelet surface are involved in the thrombin-dependent and -independent platelet aggregations induced by tumor cells.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Antibodies, Monoclonal; Cell Communication; Cell Line; Colonic Neoplasms; Female; Hirudins; Humans; Melanoma; Neuraminidase; Platelet Aggregation; Platelet Membrane Glycoproteins; Thrombin; Trypsin; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Vaginal Neoplasms

Tumour cell induced platelet aggregation (TCIPA) may facilitate haematogenous tumour metastasis. In this study of the aggregatory responses of human platelets to human tumour cell lines, we have found two distinct mechanisms of TCIPA. Colon carcinoma lines Colo 205 and Colo 397 produced TCIPA which was dependent upon thrombin generated through the activation of clotting factor VII, consistent with the expression of tissue factor activity by these cells. This mechanism was calcium dependent and was partially mediated by platelet ADP release as it was inhibited by apyrase. A uterine carcinosarcoma line (Colo 526) produced TCIPA by a novel mechanism which was dependent upon calcium, but was independent of thrombin generation and of the presence of plasma proteins, indicating that this aggregatory response is initiated by a direct platelet-tumour cell interaction.

Topics: Adenosine Diphosphate; Adult; Apyrase; Blood Coagulation Tests; Calcium; Cell Communication; Cell Line; Colonic Neoplasms; Heparin; Hirudins; Humans; Plasma; Platelet Aggregation; Thrombin

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Animals; Apyrase; Cell Line; Colonic Neoplasms; Glioma; Hirudins; Humans; Kinetics; Lung Neoplasms; Melanoma; Mesothelioma; Mice; Neoplasms; Neoplasms, Experimental; Neuroblastoma; Phospholipases; Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases; Platelet Aggregation