transforming-growth-factor-beta and Fibrosarcoma

Fibrosarcoma belongs to the sarcoma cancer group, which are spindle cell malignancies of mesenchymal origin, and owe their name to the predominant cell line that is present within the tumor. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a complicated structure that surrounds and supports cells within tissues. Its main components are proteoglycans, collagens, glycoproteins, hyaluronan (HA), and several matrix-degrading enzymes. During cancer progression, significant changes can be observed in the structural and mechanical properties of ECM components. The ECM provides a physical scaffold to which tumor cells attach and migrate. Thus, it is required for key cellular events such as cell motility, adhesion, proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. Importantly, fibrosarcomas were shown to have a high content and turnover of ECM components including HA, proteoglycans, collagens, fibronectin, and laminin. In this review, we will focus on the HA component of fibrosarcoma ECM and critically discuss its role and involved mechanisms during fibrosarcoma pathogenesis.

Topics: Animals; Cell Movement; Disease Progression; Extracellular Matrix; Extracellular Matrix Proteins; Fibroblast Growth Factors; Fibrosarcoma; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Glycoproteins; Humans; Hyaluronan Receptors; Hyaluronic Acid; Inflammation; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Mesenchymal Stem Cells; Mice; Neovascularization, Pathologic; Protein Binding; Proteoglycans; Signal Transduction; Transforming Growth Factor beta

Topics: Animals; Antigens, CD; B-Lymphocytes, Regulatory; Benzamides; Cell Proliferation; Dioxoles; Female; Fibrosarcoma; Forkhead Transcription Factors; Interleukin-10; Lymphocyte Activation; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta; Spleen; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Burden

Topics: Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; Animals; Animals, Genetically Modified; Cell Line, Tumor; Extracellular Matrix Proteins; Fibrosarcoma; HCT116 Cells; HEK293 Cells; Hippo Signaling Pathway; Humans; Hyaluronan Receptors; Mice; Mice, Nude; Neoplasm Metastasis; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; Sarcoma; Transcription Factors; Transforming Growth Factor beta; YAP-Signaling Proteins; Zebrafish

Avoiding destruction by immune cells is a hallmark of cancer, yet how tumors ultimately evade control by natural killer (NK) cells remains incompletely defined. Using global transcriptomic and flow-cytometry analyses and genetically engineered mouse models, we identified the cytokine-TGF-β-signaling-dependent conversion of NK cells (CD49a

Topics: Animals; Case-Control Studies; Cell Line, Tumor; Cellular Reprogramming; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Fibrosarcoma; Flow Cytometry; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms; Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors; Gene Expression Profiling; Humans; Immunity, Innate; Killer Cells, Natural; Lymphocytes; Mice; Neoplasms, Experimental; Sequence Analysis, RNA; Signal Transduction; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Escape

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play an important role in maintaining immunological tolerance. However, this mechanism is one of the major obstacles to overcome when attempting to improve antitumor immunity. Protein-bound polysaccharide‑K (PSK) has been used clinically as an antitumor drug, and one of its antitumor mechanisms involves improvement of the tumor-induced immunosuppressive state. Therefore, we investigated whether PSK affects Tregs in vitro and in vivo. In the in vitro study, CD4⁺CD25⁻ cells were separated from normal mouse spleen and cultured with or without PSK in the presence of TGF-β. Although TGF-β induced CD4⁺CD25⁺Foxp3⁺ Tregs, PSK reduced the proportion of TGF-β-induced Tregs. In the in vivo study, BALB/c mice were injected subcutaneously with methylcholanthrene-induced fibrosarcoma (Meth A) cells on day 0, and were administered PSK (50 mg/kg) intraperitoneally from day 1, three times per week. After 4 weeks, the tumor volume, the proportion of Tregs and the CD8+/Treg ratio in the spleen, plasma TGF-β concentration, and IFN-γ production by spleen cells were measured. PSK significantly reduced tumor growth, the proportion of Tregs in the spleen and the plasma TGF-β concentration, and significantly increased the CD8+/Treg ratio in the spleen and IFN-γ production by spleen cells. The reduction of the TGF-β concentration in blood by PSK appears to decrease the proportion of Tregs in lymphoid organs and to augment antitumor immunity.

Topics: Adjuvants, Immunologic; Animals; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; CD4-CD8 Ratio; Cells, Cultured; Fibrosarcoma; Immunosuppression Therapy; Interferon-gamma; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Proteoglycans; Spleen; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Escape

Despite significant progress in the cancer field, tumor cell invasion and metastasis remain a major clinical challenge. Cell invasion across tissue boundaries depends largely on extracellular matrix degradation, which can be initiated by formation of actin-rich cell structures specialized in matrix degradation called invadopodia. Although the hypoxic microenvironment within solid tumors has been increasingly recognized as an important driver of local invasion and metastasis, little is known about how hypoxia influences invadopodia biogenesis. Here, we show that histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6), a cytoplasmic member of the histone deacetylase family, is a novel modulator of hypoxia-induced invadopodia formation. Hypoxia was found to enhance HDAC6 tubulin deacetylase activity through activation of the EGFR pathway. Activated HDAC6, in turn, triggered Smad3 phosphorylation resulting in nuclear accumulation. Inhibition of HDAC6 activity or knockdown of the protein inhibited both hypoxia-induced Smad3 activation and invadopodia formation. Our data provide evidence that hypoxia influences invadopodia formation in a biphasic manner, which involves the activation of HDAC6 deacetylase activity by EGFR, resulting in enhanced Smad phosphorylation and nuclear accumulation. The identification of HDAC6 as a key participant of hypoxia-induced cell invasion may have important therapeutic implications for the treatment of metastasis in cancer patients.

Topics: Blotting, Western; Cell Adhesion; Cell Movement; Cell Nucleus; Cell Proliferation; Cell Surface Extensions; ErbB Receptors; Extracellular Matrix; Fibrosarcoma; Fluorescent Antibody Technique; Histone Deacetylase 6; Histone Deacetylases; Humans; Hypoxia; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Immunoprecipitation; Neoplasm Invasiveness; Protein Transport; Smad3 Protein; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Invasion of lymphatic vessels is a key step in the metastasis of primary tumors to draining lymph nodes. Although the process is enhanced by tumor lymphangiogenesis, it is unclear whether this is a consequence of increased lymphatic vessel number, altered lymphatic vessel properties, or both. Here we have addressed the question by comparing the RNA profiles of primary lymphatic endothelial cells (LEC) isolated from the vasculature of normal tissue and from highly metastatic T-241/vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C fibrosarcomas implanted in C57BL/6 mice. Our findings reveal significant differences in expression of some 792 genes (i.e., >or=2-fold up- or down-regulated, P

Topics: Animals; Cell Adhesion Molecules; Cell Growth Processes; Endoglin; Endothelial Cells; Fibrosarcoma; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Humans; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Junctional Adhesion Molecules; Lymph Nodes; Lymphatic Metastasis; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Neoplasms; Neovascularization, Pathologic; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; Receptors, Leptin; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C

Podoplanin/aggrus is increased in tumors and its expression was associated with tumor malignancy. Podoplanin on cancer cells serves as a platelet-aggregating factor, which is associated with the metastatic potential. However, regulators of podoplanin remain to be determined. Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) regulates many physiological events, including tumorigenesis. Here, we found that TGF-beta induced podoplanin in human fibrosarcoma HT1080 cells and enhanced the platelet-aggregating-ability of HT1080. TGF-beta type I receptor inhibitor (SB431542) and short hairpin RNAs for Smad4 inhibited the podoplanin induction by TGF-beta. These results suggest that TGF-beta is a physiological regulator of podoplanin in tumor cells.

Topics: Base Sequence; Cell Line; DNA Primers; Fibrosarcoma; Flow Cytometry; Humans; Membrane Glycoproteins; Platelet Aggregation; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Smad4 Protein; Transforming Growth Factor beta

The transfusion of allogeneic blood products containing white cells (WBCs) has been reported to reduce resistance to infection, stimulate the growth of some types of tumors in animal models, and prevent abortion of allogeneic embryos in the CBAxDBA/2 murine model.. In this study, the issue explored was whether allogeneic BALB/c whole blood given to C57Bl/6 mice by tail vein after injection of syngeneic FSL-10 fibrosarcoma cells increased the number of lung nodules enumerated on Day 21. The effect on the tumor growth-promoting effect produced by allogeneic BALB/c whole blood was then examined by exposure of the allogeneic BALB/c blood to various monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs). The antibodies added to the BALB/c blood included anti-murine CD200 antibodies, anti-lymphoid dendritic cell (DC) antibodies (DEC205), or anti-myeloid DC (anti-CD11c) antibodies.. The tumor growth-promoting effect of the allogeneic BALB/c blood was abrogated by the addition to the BALB/c blood of MoAb either to myeloid DCs (anti-CD11c) or to the CD200 tolerance signaling molecule, but not by adding MoAb to lymphoid DCs (DEC205). BALB/c blood also was shown to increase the percentage of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta+ splenocytes detected in recipient mice, on Day 12 after transfusion. This effect was abrogated by adding anti-CD200 antibody to the BALB/c donor blood. Moreover, physiologic concentrations of TGF-beta, but not interleukin-10, were shown to stimulate, in cell culture experiments, the proliferation of syngeneic FSL-10 sarcoma cells.. These data support the hypothesis that the mechanism of the tumor growth-promoting effect of allogeneic blood is mediated by a highly potent population of peripheral blood DCs expressing the CD200 tolerance signaling molecule. These data also indicate that tumor cell growth can be mediated by the stimulation of TGF-beta-producing cells and that TGF-beta may act by tumor cell growth stimulation, rather than by host immunosuppression.

Topics: Animals; Antigens, CD; CD11c Antigen; Dendritic Cells; Female; Fibrosarcoma; Immune Tolerance; Immunologic Factors; Isoantigens; Lung Neoplasms; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Neoplasm Transplantation; Signal Transduction; Spleen; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Transfusion Reaction

There are many mechanisms that regulate and dampen the immune response to cancers, including several types of regulatory T cells. Besides the T reg cell, we have identified another immunoregulatory circuit initiated by NKT cells that produce IL-13 in response to tumor growth and this IL-13 then induces myeloid cells to make TGF-beta that inhibits cytotoxic T cell-mediated tumor immunosurveillance in several mouse tumor models. This finding created a paradox in the role of NKT cells in tumor immunity, in that they can also contribute to protection. We resolve this paradox by the finding that the suppressive NKT cell is a type II NKT cell that lacks the canonical invariant T cell receptor, whereas the protective cell is a type I NKT cell that expresses the invariant receptor. Further, we see that these two subsets of NKT cells counter-regulate each other, defining a new immunoregulatory axis. The balance along this axis may determine the outcome of tumor immunosurveillance as well as influence the efficacy of anti-cancer vaccines and immunotherapy.

Topics: Animals; Antigens, CD1; Fibrosarcoma; Immune Tolerance; Immunologic Surveillance; Interleukin-13; Killer Cells, Natural; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Knockout; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; Sarcoma, Experimental; T-Lymphocyte Subsets; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory; Transforming Growth Factor beta

The use of adenovirus serotype 2 or 5 (Ad2/5) E1A as therapy for human malignancy requires an understanding of the mechanisms involved in E1A-induced tumor suppression. The prevailing use of E1A in the treatment of human malignancy stresses the non-immunologically mediated, anti-tumorigenic activities of E1A. However, the capacity of E1A to elicit a NK-cell and T-cell anti-tumor immune response and to sensitize tumor cells to lysis by immune effector molecules utilized by NK cells and T cells is also an important component of the anti-tumorigenic activity of E1A. This immune-mediated anti-tumorigenic activity of E1A is not shared by functionally similar viral oncoproteins such as the human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) E7 oncoprotein and is dependent on the capacity of E1A to interact with transcriptional coadapter, p300. To further define the molecular mechanisms whereby E1A reduces tumorigenicity, we compared total cellular gene expression in H4 cells, a human fibrosarcoma cell line, to gene expression in H4 cells stably expressing E1A, E7, or mutant forms of E1A that do not bind p300. The expression of E1A, but not E7, in H4 cells modulated the expression of cellular genes that may promote apoptosis, enhance immunogenicity and reduce tumor cell metastasis. The difference in the ability of E1A and E7 to modulate the expression of cellular genes that may influence tumorigenicity was largely attributable to distinct interactions of E1A and E7 with p300. Results of this study will be useful in designing novel strategies to augment the anti-tumorigenic activities of E1A.

Topics: Adenovirus E1A Proteins; Animals; Blotting, Northern; Cell Line, Tumor; E1A-Associated p300 Protein; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Fibrosarcoma; Flow Cytometry; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Humans; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; Protein Binding; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Sarcoma; Transforming Growth Factor beta

The net balance of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP) system has been known to be a key factor in tumor cell invasion. In the present study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms of anti-invasive and antimigrative activity of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 on HT1080 human fibrosarcoma cells. In in vitro Matrigel invasion and Transwell migration assays, TGF-beta1 dose-dependently inhibited the invasion and migration of HT1080 cells, respectively. Gelatin zymography, Western blot, and real-time PCR analysis showed that TGF-beta1 enhanced the expression and secretion of MMP-2, TIMP-1, and, to a lesser degree, MMP-9 but not membrane type 1-MMP and TIMP-2. The addition of recombinant TIMP-1 protein reduced the Matrigel invasion and Transwell migration of HT1080 cells, similar to TGF-beta1. Because augmentation of TIMP-1 might be the major factor for the anti-invasive and antimigrative activity of TGF-beta1, we investigated possible molecular mechanisms responsible for the expression of TIMP-1 induced by TGF-beta1. Treatment of HT1080 cells with TGF-beta1 rapidly phosphorylated three mitogen-activated protein kinases [MAPK; extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), p38, and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase] and Akt. Among these kinases, the inhibition of only ERK1/2 pathway by PD98059, a specific inhibitor of MAPK/ERK kinase(MEK)-1, and transfection of dominant-negative MEK 1 effectively blocked the TIMP-1 induction by TGF-beta1. Mithramycin, a specific inhibitor of Sp1 transcription factor, but not curcumin, an inhibitor of activator protein-1, and transfection of Sp1 small interfering RNA significantly inhibited the TGF-beta1-induced expression of TIMP-1. In addition, electrophoretic mobility shift assay showed that TGF-beta1 up-regulated Sp1 DNA-binding activity, and PD98059 and mithramycin effectively inhibited these events. Finally, pretreatment of HT1080 cells with PD98059 and mithramycin, but not curcumin, restored the invasive activity of these cells. Taken together, these data suggest that TGF-beta1 modulates the net balance of the MMPs/TIMPs the systems in HT1080 cells for anti-invasion and antimigration by augmenting TIMP-1 through ERK1/2 pathway and Sp1 transcription factor.

Topics: Cell Movement; Enzyme Activation; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases; Fibrosarcoma; Flavonoids; Humans; Matrix Metalloproteinase 1; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; Neoplasm Invasiveness; Phosphorylation; Sp1 Transcription Factor; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Transforming Growth Factor beta1

Metal transcription factor-1 (MTF-1) is a ubiquitous transcriptional regulator and chromatin insulator with roles in cellular stress responses and embryonic development. The studies described herein establish for the first time the involvement of MTF-1 in tumor development. Genetically manipulated ras-transformed mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), wild-type (MTF-1+/+), or nullizygous for MTF-1 (MTF-1-/-) were used to develop fibrosarcoma tumors. Loss of MTF-1 resulted in delayed tumor growth associated with increased matrix collagen deposition and reductions in vasculature density. Molecular consequences of MTF-1 loss include increased expression and activation of the transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) and tissue transglutaminase (tTG), two proteins with documented roles in the production and stabilization of extracellular matrix (ECM). Our findings support the hypothesis that MTF-1 enhances the ability of the developing tumor mass to evade fibrosis and scarring of the tumor, a critical step in tumor cell proliferation.

Topics: Animals; Cell Division; Cell Line, Transformed; Disease Progression; DNA-Binding Proteins; Enzyme Induction; Extracellular Matrix; Fibrinolysin; Fibroblasts; Fibrosarcoma; Fibrosis; Genes, ras; GTP-Binding Proteins; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Knockout; Mice, Nude; Neoplasm Transplantation; Neovascularization, Pathologic; Protein Glutamine gamma Glutamyltransferase 2; Transcription Factor MTF-1; Transcription Factors; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Transforming Growth Factor beta1; Transglutaminases

Homeostasis of the extracellular matrix (ECM) of tissues is regulated by controlling deposition and degradation of ECM proteins. The breakdown of ECM is essential in blastocyst implantation and embryonic development, tissue morphogenesis, menstrual shedding, bone formation, tissue resorption after delivery, and tumor growth and invasion. TGF-beta family members are one of the classes of proteins that actively participate in the homeostasis of ECM. Here, we report on the effect of lefty, a novel member of the TGF-beta family, on the homeostasis of extracellular matrix in a fibrosarcoma model. Fibroblastic cells forced to express lefty by retroviral transduction lost their ability to deposit collagen in vivo. This event was associated with down-regulation of the steady-state level of connective tissue growth factor that induces collagen type I mRNA. In addition, lefty transduction significantly decreased collagen type I mRNA expression and simultaneously increased collagenolytic, gelatinolytic, elastolytic, and caseinolytic activities in vivo by the transduced fibroblasts. These findings provide a new insight on the actions of lefty and suggest that this cytokine plays an active role in remodeling of the extracellular matrix in vivo.

Topics: Animals; Collagen Type I; Connective Tissue Growth Factor; Extracellular Matrix; Fibrosarcoma; Growth Substances; Immediate-Early Proteins; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Left-Right Determination Factors; Matrix Metalloproteinases; Mice; Mice, Nude; RNA, Messenger; Transforming Growth Factor beta

Fibulin-5 (FBLN-5; also known as DANCE or EVEC) is an integrin-binding extracellular matrix protein that mediates endothelial cell adhesion; it is also a calcium-dependent elastin-binding protein that scaffolds cells to elastic fibers, thereby preventing elastinopathy in the skin, lung, and vasculature. Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) regulates the production of cytokines, growth factors, and extracellular matrix proteins by a variety of cell types and tissues. We show here that TGF-beta stimulates murine 3T3-L1 fibroblasts to synthesize FBLN-5 transcript and protein through a Smad3-independent pathway. Overexpression of FBLN-5 in 3T3-L1 cells increased DNA synthesis and enhanced basal and TGF-beta-stimulated activation of ERK1/ERK2 and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). FBLN-5 overexpression also augmented the tumorigenicity of human HT1080 fibrosarcoma cells by increasing their DNA synthesis, migration toward fibronectin, and invasion through synthetic basement membranes. In stark contrast, FBLN-5 expression was down-regulated in the majority of metastatic human malignancies, particularly in cancers of the kidney, breast, ovary, and colon. Unlike its proliferative response in fibroblasts, FBLN-5 overexpression in mink lung Mv1Lu epithelial cells resulted in an antiproliferative response, reducing their DNA synthesis and cyclin A expression. Moreover, FBLN-5 synergizes with TGF-beta in stimulating AP-1 activity in Mv1Lu cells, an effect that was abrogated by overexpression of dominant-negative versions of either MKK1 or p38 MAPKalpha. Accordingly, both the stimulation and duration of ERK1/ERK2 and p38 MAPK by TGF-beta was enhanced in Mv1Lu cells expressing FBLN-5. Our findings identify FBLN-5 as a novel TGF-beta-inducible target gene that regulates cell growth and motility in a context-specific manner and affects protein kinase activation by TGF-beta. Our findings also indicate that aberrant FBLN-5 expression likely contributes to tumor development in humans.

Topics: 3T3 Cells; Animals; Blotting, Northern; Cell Division; Cell Line; Cell Movement; Cells, Cultured; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Epithelial Cells; Extracellular Matrix Proteins; Fibrosarcoma; Genes, Reporter; Humans; Luciferases; Lung; MAP Kinase Signaling System; Mass Spectrometry; Mice; Mink; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; Neoplasm Invasiveness; Plasmids; Recombinant Proteins; Retroviridae; Thymidine; Time Factors; Tissue Distribution; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Tumors elicit an immune response in hosts and yet, paradoxically, often grow progressively with fatal consequences. This phenomenon has been attributed to the possible expression by tumor cells of immunomodulatory factors that overcome the anti-tumor effector functions of both specific and non-specific immune cells. This study reports on the ability of the methylcholanthrene-induced fibrosarcoma, Meth A, as well as other tumors of varied histological origins to downregulate the lytic activity of CD8+ T cells. The suppressive activity is contact-dependent and reversible. As tumor-bearing hosts are rarely immunosuppressed systemically, these findings may explain how local events within the tumor bed subvert the specific anti-tumor immune response.

Topics: Animals; Antibodies, Monoclonal; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes; Cell Communication; Cell Membrane; Cells, Cultured; Coculture Techniques; Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; Fibrosarcoma; Graft Rejection; H-2 Antigens; Kinetics; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Inbred C3H; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Neoplasms, Experimental; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Thrombospondin 1 (TSP1) is a multifunctional protein able to activate TGFbeta and to inhibit angiogenesis in vivo. Although usually thought of as an inhibitor of tumor growth, TSP1 may sometimes be present at high levels during tumor progression, suggesting that tumors can eventually overcome their anti-tumor effects. Using a tet-repressible expression system, we demonstrate that murine TSP1 delayed the onset of tumor growth when produced in the tumor bed by rat fibrosarcoma tumor cells or by stromal fibroblasts coinjected with unmodified C6 glioma tumor cells. Yet upon prolonged exposure to TSP1, tumors came to grow at the same rate in the presence as in the absence of TSP1 and transplantation experiments showed that they had become insensitive to inhibition by TSP1 in both syngeneic and immune compromised hosts. Tumor resistance to TSP1 developed as a result of the in vivo outgrowth of pre-existing tumor cell variants that (1) secreted increased amounts of angiogenic factors that counterbalanced the inhibitory effect of TSP1 on neovascularization and (2) grew more efficiently in the presence of TSP1-activated TGFbeta. These results indicate that prolonged and continuous local delivery of a single multifunctional angiogenesis inhibitor like TSP1 to fast-growing tumors can lead to tumor resistance in vivo by fostering the outgrowth of subpopulations that are a by-product of the genetic instability of the tumor cells themselves.

Topics: Angiogenesis Inhibitors; Animals; Blotting, Northern; Fibrosarcoma; Glioblastoma; Immunoblotting; Immunohistochemistry; Mice; Mice, Nude; Neoplasm Transplantation; Neoplasms; Neovascularization, Pathologic; Rats; Rats, Inbred F344; Thrombospondin 1; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is a potent secreted signaling factor which functions in multiple stages of angiogenesis. In the present study, we examined the role of CTGF in tumor angiogenesis and made the following observations: (1) Histological analysis of human breast cancer (MDA231) cell and human fibrosarcoma (HT1080) cell xenografts in BALB/c nude mice showed a high level of neovascularization. Human squamous cell carcinoma (A431) xenografts induced only a low level of neovascularization. (2) CTGF mRNA was strongly expressed in MDA231 and in HT1080 cells in vivo and in vitro, but not in A431 cells. (3) CTGF protein was markedly produced in MDA231 cells and HT1080 cells and secreted into culture medium, and its production was greater during phases of growth rather than confluency. (4) Production of CTGF in bovine aorta endothelial cells was induced by CTGF, VEGF, bFGF and TGF-beta. (5) Neovascularization induced by HT1080 cells or MDA231 cells on chicken chorioallantoic membrane was suppressed in the presence of neutralizing CTGF-specific polyclonal antibody. These results suggest that CTGF regulates progression in tumor angiogenesis and the release or secretion of CTGF from tumor cells is essential for the angiogenesis.

Topics: Allantois; Animals; Aorta; Breast Neoplasms; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Cattle; Chickens; Chorion; Connective Tissue Growth Factor; Endothelial Growth Factors; Endothelium, Vascular; Female; Fibroblast Growth Factor 2; Fibrosarcoma; Gene Expression Regulation; Growth Substances; Humans; Immediate-Early Proteins; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Lymphokines; Mice; Mice, Nude; Neovascularization, Pathologic; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Transplantation, Heterologous; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors

A methodology is described that allows the in vivo trapping of transcription factors to their target regulatory elements in multiple genes simultaneously. Cross-linking using formaldehyde is the first of several steps to isolate, purify, clone and characterize multiple gene promoter DNA fragments. The example that we use indicates that the TGF beta 1 gene is a direct target induced by Egr-1 in HT1080 cells that express constitutive Egr-1, thus explaining the growth retardation that follows Egr-1 expression. The genes identified using this procedure reflect the specific activities of Egr-1 at that moment in the cell and provide a method for confirmation of genes that are the direct targets of Egr-1 action.

Topics: Binding Sites; Breast Neoplasms; Cloning, Molecular; Cross-Linking Reagents; DNA; DNA-Binding Proteins; Early Growth Response Protein 1; Fibrosarcoma; Formaldehyde; Gene Expression; Humans; Immediate-Early Proteins; Immunosorbent Techniques; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Sensitivity and Specificity; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate; Transcription Factors; Transcription, Genetic; Transcriptional Activation; Transfection; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Re-expression of EGR-1 in fibrosarcoma HT1080 suppresses transformation including tumorigenicity (Huang, R.-P., Liu, C., Fan, Y., Mercola, D., and Adamson, E. (1995) Cancer Res. 55, 5054-5062) owing in part to up-regulation of the transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 promoter by EGR-1 which suppresses growth by an autocrine mechanism (Liu, C., Adamson, E., and Mercola, D. (1996) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 93, 11831-11836). Here we show that enhanced cell attachment contributes to the suppression via increased secretion of fibronectin (FN) and also of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1). The secretion of FN and PAI-1 is strongly correlated with EGR-1 expression (RPEARSON = 0.971 and 0. 985, respectively). Addition of authentic TGF-beta1 to parental cells greatly stimulated secretion of PAI-1 but not FN, whereas addition of TGF-beta antibody or lipofection with specific antisense TGF-beta1 oligonucleotides to EGR-1-regulated cells completely inhibits the secretion of PAI-1 but not FN. However, in gel mobility shift assays pure EGR-1 or nuclear extracts of EGR-1-regulated cells specifically bind to two GC-rich elements of the human FN promoter at positions -75/-52 and -4/+18, indicating that the increased secretion of FN is likely due to direct up-regulation by EGR-1. Moreover, adhesion was greatly enhanced in EGR-1-regulated cells and was reversed by treatment with Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) or PAI-1 antibody indicating that the secreted proteins are functional. We conclude that EGR-1 regulates the coordinated expression of gene products important for cell attachment ("oikis" factor) and normal growth control.

Topics: Cell Adhesion; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; DNA-Binding Proteins; Early Growth Response Protein 1; Fibronectins; Fibrosarcoma; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Humans; Immediate-Early Proteins; Oligodeoxyribonucleotides, Antisense; Oligopeptides; Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Transcription Factors; Transfection; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Zinc Fingers

Hyaluronidase activity has been detected for the first time in normal human dermal fibroblasts (HS27), as well as in fetal fibroblasts (FF24) and fibrosarcoma cells (HT1080). Enzymatic activity was secreted predominantly into the culture media, with minor amounts of activity associated with the cell layer. In both classes of fibroblasts, hyaluronidase expression was confluence-dependent, with highest levels of activity occurring in quiescent, post-confluent cells. However, in the fibrosarcoma cell cultures, expression was independent of cell density. The enzyme had a pH optimum of 3.7 and on hyaluronan substrate gel zymography, activity occurred as a single band corresponding to an approximate molecular size of 57 kDa. The enzyme could be immunoprecipitated in its entirety using monoclonal antibodies raised against Hyal-1, human plasma hyaluronidase. PCR confirmed that fibroblast hyaluronidase was identical to Hyal-1. The conclusion by previous investigators using earlier technologies that fibroblasts do not contain hyaluronidase activity should be reevaluated.

Topics: Cell Count; Cell Line; Culture Media, Conditioned; Enzyme Activation; Fibroblasts; Fibrosarcoma; Gene Expression; Humans; Hyaluronoglucosaminidase; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Insulin; Interleukin-1; Molecular Weight; Precipitin Tests; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Skin; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate; Transforming Growth Factor beta

We cloned a genomic fragment of the 5'-flanking region of the gene encoding bone morphogenetic protein-6 (BMP-6) and assessed its promoter activity. Primer extension revealed the presence of one major transcription start site 178 bp upstream of the translation start site. The promoter region lacked a canonical TATA box but did contain a GC-rich region. A putative tramtrack responsive element, a Drosophila transcriptional factor regulating the segment polarity, was found in the promoter region. Known steroid hormonal responsive elements, however, were not found. Although BMP-6 is classified as a member of the vgr-1 family, the structure of the promoter was similar to that of BMP-2 and 4.

Topics: Base Sequence; Bone Morphogenetic Protein 6; Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; Cloning, Molecular; Fibrosarcoma; Genes, Reporter; Humans; Luciferases; Molecular Sequence Data; Osteosarcoma; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Protein Biosynthesis; Recombinant Fusion Proteins; Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid; Transcription, Genetic; Transfection; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Previously we reported the malignant progression of QR-32, a regressor-type tumor clone, following co-implantation with foreign bodies (gelatin sponge or plastic plate) in normal syngeneic C57BL/6 mice. We also reported that the progression of QR-32 cells by a gelatin sponge was significantly inhibited in the mice administered polysaccharide K (PSK) and that PSK induced an increase of radical scavengers, especially manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD), locally at the site of tumor tissues. In this study, to reveal the possible mechanism by which PSK induced Mn-SOD in the tumor tissues, we examined the mRNA expression and protein levels of inflammatory cytokines in the tissues. We found that mRNAs of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) and interleukin-1alpha (IL-1alpha) were considerably expressed in both PSK-treated and phosphate-buffered-saline-treated tumors, and that the mRNA expression and protein level of interferon gamma (IFNgamma) increased in the tumor tissues treated with PSK. In vitro treatment of QR-32 cells with IFNgamma did not significantly increase the production of Mn-SOD; however, the combination of IFNgamma with TNFalpha increased the Mn-SOD production more effectively than did any of the cytokines used singly. Furthermore, we observed the down-regulation of the mRNA expression and protein level of transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) in the tumor tissues treated with PSK, and that in vitro treatment of QR-32 cells with TGFbeta decreased the production of Mn-SOD. These results suggest that PSK suppresses the progression of QR-32 cells by increasing Mn-SOD via the modulation of inflammatory cytokines; that is, by decreasing TGF-beta and increasing IFN-gamma.

Topics: Adjuvants, Immunologic; Animals; Enzyme Induction; Female; Fibrosarcoma; Foreign-Body Reaction; Gelatin; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Interferon-alpha; Interferon-gamma; Interleukin-1; Lung Neoplasms; Manganese; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Neoplasm Proteins; Neoplasm Transplantation; Proteoglycans; RNA, Messenger; RNA, Neoplasm; Superoxide Dismutase; Surgical Sponges; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Recently, a non-DNA binding protein, class II transactivator (CIITA), has been shown to be required for constitutive and IFN-gamma-inducible class II MHC transcription. The cytokine TGF-beta inhibits IFN-gamma-induced class II MHC expression at the transcriptional level. In this study, we provide evidence that TGF-beta blocks IFN-gamma-induced CIITA mRNA accumulation. TGF-beta down-regulates class II MHC and CIITA mRNA accumulation in human astroglioma and fibrosarcoma cell lines, but TGF-beta does not destabilize the CIITA message, suggesting an effect at the transcriptional level. In cells that stably overexpressed CIITA, leading to a constitutive class II MHC-positive phenotype, the inhibitory effect of TGF-beta on class II MHC was abrogated, but the cells remained responsive for expression of TGF-beta-inducible genes. Cell lines that possessed defects in TGF-beta signaling also became refractory to inhibition of IFN-gamma-induced CIITA and class II MHC expression. Our data indicate that TGF-beta suppresses IFN-gamma-induced class II MHC expression by inhibiting accumulation of CIITA mRNA.

Topics: Astrocytoma; Fibrosarcoma; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Gene Transfer Techniques; Genes, MHC Class II; Humans; Interferon-gamma; Nuclear Proteins; RNA, Messenger; Signal Transduction; Tetracycline; Trans-Activators; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Repair of colonic epithelial erosions requires cell migration. This study aimed to examine the effects of physiologically relevant short-chain fatty acids on migration in colonic epithelial cell lines.. Butyrate, propionate, and acetate were added to confluent monolayers of LIM1215 colon cancer cells after wounding. Migration in circular wounds was assessed after 24 hours.. The migration of LIM1215 cells was stimulated in a concentration-dependent manner by all short-chain fatty acids. In four experiments, 2 mmol/L butyrate, 8 mmol/L propionate, and 16 mmol/L acetate induced 112.6% +/- 6.7%, 98.5% +/- 5.4%, and 63.4% +/- 7.2% (mean +/- SEM) stimulation above control migration, respectively. Their effects were additive at submaximal concentrations and reversible. Butyrate also stimulated migration in two other colon cancer cell lines, Caco-2 and LIM2405. However, butyrate failed to stimulate the migration of nongastrointestinal and nonepithelial cell lines. The stimulatory effect of butyrate required protein and RNA synthesis but was independent of cell proliferation, presence of serum, beta-oxidation, transforming growth factor beta, intracellular acidification, and substratum composition.. In wounded in vitro models of colonic epithelium, short-chain fatty acids promote cell migration. If such an effect occurs in vivo, it would have ramifications for the biology and pathobiology of the colonic mucosa.

Topics: Animals; Caco-2 Cells; Carbon Radioisotopes; Cell Division; Cell Movement; Colonic Neoplasms; Cycloheximide; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Epidermal Growth Factor; Epithelial Cells; Epithelium; Fatty Acids, Volatile; Fibroblast Growth Factors; Fibrosarcoma; Humans; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; Leucine; Lung; Mink; RNA; Thymidine; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tritium; Tumor Cells, Cultured

To determine whether resistance to chemoimmunotherapy is acquired during therapy, we investigated the effects of chemotherapeutic agents and anti-tumour polysaccharide, lentinan, on the progression of Rous sarcoma virus-induced S908.D2 fibrosarcomas. The chemoimmunotherapy was effective against the parental S908.D2-bearing mice. Nearly all the mice that were treated with cyclophosphamide (CY) and lentinan achieved complete tumour regression. Only a few of the mice that achieved complete regression of the primary tumours showed a recurrence of the tumour in regional lymph nodes. S908.D2-vp.1 was established from metastatic tumours that developed in the regional lymph nodes of parental S908.D2-bearing mice during therapy. S908.D2-vp.2-or vp.3 cells were sequentially derived in a similar way from S908.D2-vp.1-or-vp.2-bearing mice respectively, in which complete tumour regression at each primary site was achieved during therapy. These lines acquired resistance to CY and lentinan and also to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)/5'-deoxy-5-fluorouracil and lentinan. No significant difference in either the sensitivity to 5-FU or 4-deoxycyclophosphamide in vitro or in the susceptibility to immune effector cells was observed between the parental and progressed lines (S908.D2-vp1 -vp3). There was an increase in the level of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in the progressed lines during repeated therapy (parental, 1171 pg ml(-1); vp.1, 2199 pg ml(-1); vp.2, 5500pg ml(-1); vp3, 16187 pg ml(-1)). There was no significant increase in the production of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta). The amount of interleukin-2 (IL-2) produced by spleen cells isolated from the S908.D2-vp.2-bearing mice was decreased compared with the amount produced by the parental S908.D2- bearing mice. Furthermore, combination therapy with lentinan and IL-2 achieved complete tumour regression in all the mice transplanted with S908.D2 progressed tumour lines, although IL-2 alone did not show any anti-tumour effects in either the S908.D2 parental or progressed lines. The findings suggest that the reduced production of IL-2 induced an increase in the production of the PGE2 by progressed tumour lines is involved in the acquisition of resistance.

Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Avian Sarcoma Viruses; Combined Modality Therapy; Cyclophosphamide; Dinoprostone; Disease Progression; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Female; Fibrosarcoma; Fluorouracil; Immunotherapy; Interleukin-2; Lentinan; Mice; Mice, Inbred Strains; Transforming Growth Factor beta

The receptor for hyaluronan mediated motility (RHAMM) gene expression is markedly elevated in fibrosarcomas exposed to transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1). The half-life of RHAMM mRNA was increased by 3 fold in cells treated with TGF-beta1, indicating that growth factor regulation of RHAMM gene expression at least in part involves a posttranscriptional mechanism. Our studies demonstrated that a unique 30-nucleotide (nt) region that has three copies of the sequence, GCUUGC, was the TGF-beta1-responsive region in the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) that mediated message stability. This region interacted specifically with cytoplasmic trans-factors to form multiple protein complexes of approximately 175, 97, 63, 26, and 17 kDa post-TGF-beta1 treatment, suggesting a role for these complexes in the mechanism of action of TGF-beta1-induced message stabilization. Insertion of the 3'-UTR into the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene conferred TGF-beta1 induced stability of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase-hybrid RNA in stably transfected cells, while the same insert carrying a deletion containing the 30-nt region had no significant effect on mRNA stability. These results provide a model of RHAMM message regulation in which TGF-beta1-mediated alteration of RHAMM message stability involves the up-regulation of multiple protein interactions with a 30-nt cis-element stability determinant in the 3'-UTR. This model also suggests that this 30-nt base region functions in cis to destabilize RHAMM mRNA in resting normal cells.

Topics: Animals; Base Sequence; Binding Sites; Cell Line; Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase; Extracellular Matrix Proteins; Fibrosarcoma; Gene Expression Regulation; Hyaluronan Receptors; Mice; Molecular Sequence Data; Oligonucleotide Probes; Oligoribonucleotides; Protein Biosynthesis; Recombinant Proteins; RNA, Messenger; Transcription, Genetic; Transfection; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured

In this study, a somatic cell genetic approach was used to study the regulation of liver/bone/kidney alkaline phosphatase (ALPL) gene expression in osteoblasts. ALPL plays an important role in skeletal mineralization and serves as a good index of bone formation. A series of intertypic hybrids constructed by fusion of the human osteosarcoma TE-85 with the mouse fibrosarcoma La-t- demonstrated a 10-fold reduction of ALPL steady-state mRNA and enzyme activity, a phenomenon termed extinction. Hybrid subclones which reexpressed ALPL contained reduced numbers of fibroblast chromosomes compared to earlier passages. This suggests that a trans-acting negative regulatory factor expressed from the fibroblast genome regulates ALPL expression. Two factors known to influence ALPL expression are 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25D3) and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGFbeta1). 1,25D3 is involved in mobilizing bone calcium stores and TGFbeta1 plays a critical role in bone remodeling. The extinguished hybrids were exposed to 1,25D3, TGFbeta1, and a combination of these factors. For two hybrids, the combination induced reexpression of ALPL activity to levels comparable to the TE-85 parent, indicating a competition between the factors and the extinguisher(s). Neither factor alone could induce ALPL reexpression to the levels observed with the combination. In only one hybrid, the combination of factors synergistically increased ALPL expression. These data help define the cis sequence element(s) in the ALPL promoter which are involved in the negative regulation of this gene.

Topics: Alkaline Phosphatase; Animals; Base Sequence; Blotting, Northern; Bone and Bones; Calcitriol; Drug Synergism; Fibrosarcoma; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; Humans; Hybrid Cells; Kidney; Liver; Mice; Molecular Sequence Data; Osteosarcoma; Phenotype; Promoter Regions, Genetic; RNA, Messenger; Transcription, Genetic; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Retinoids have shown great promise as chemopreventive against the development of squamous cell carcinomas of the upper aerodigestive tract. However, the exact mechanism by which they block new tumors from arising is unknown. Here, we report that 13-cis- and all-trans-retinoic acid, used at clinically achievable doses of 10(-6) mol/L or less, can directly and specifically affect cell lines cultured from oral squamous cell carcinomas, inducing them to switch from an angiogenic to an anti-angiogenic phenotype. Although retinoic-acid-treated and untreated tumor cells make the same amount of interleukin-8, the major inducer of neovascularization produced by such tumor lines, they vary in production of inhibitory activity. Only the retinoic-acid-treated cells produce a potent angio-inhibitory activity that is able to block in vitro migration of endothelial cells toward tumor cell conditioned media and to halt neovascularization induced by such media in the rat cornea. Anti-angiogenic activity is induced in the tumor cells by low doses of retinoids in the absence of toxicity with a kinetics that suggest that it could be contributing to the effectiveness of the retinoids as chemopreventive agents.

Topics: Animals; Breast Neoplasms; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Colonic Neoplasms; Cornea; Endothelium, Vascular; Female; Fibrosarcoma; Humans; Interleukin-8; Keratinocytes; Neovascularization, Pathologic; Neovascularization, Physiologic; Neutralization Tests; Phenotype; Rats; Rats, Inbred F344; Tongue Neoplasms; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tretinoin; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Using an under agarose migration (UAM) assay, we studied lymphokine-activated killer (LAK)-attractant activity in cultured conditioned medium of tumour tissues after chemotherapy as a possible mechanism of enhanced LAK cell accumulation into tumour tissues after chemotherapy. BMT-11 is a fibrosarcoma developed in C57BL/6 mice. The conditioned medium of BMT-11 tumour tissues obtained from mice treated with various anti-cancer drugs had chemotactic activity for LAK cells (LAK-attractant activity). mRNA expression of interleukin (IL)-1 alpha, IL-6, IL-8, interferon (IFN)-gamma, and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha was observed in untreated tumour tissues, which were not enhanced by cyclophosphamide treatment. mRNA expression of TGF-beta 1 was not detected in untreated tumour tissues by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), but was detected in tumour tissues treated with cyclophosphamide. Recombinant human TGF-beta 1 showed LAK-attractant activity at a concentration of 0.1 ng ml-1 and 1 ng ml-1, whereas fresh splenocytes were not attracted by TGF-beta 1. Anti-TGF-beta 1 antibody inhibited LAK-attractant activity in the conditioned medium of tumour tissues treated with cyclophosphamide to approximately 35% that of control at 100 micrograms ml-1. These findings indicate that TGF-beta 1 produced in the tumour tissues of mice treated with anti-cancer drugs could be a LAK attractant. By a 4 h 51Cr release assay of natural killer cell-resistant BMT-11 tumour cells, we observed that TGF-beta 1 at a concentration from 0.01 ng ml-1 to 10 ng ml-1 did not inhibit LAK activity in an effector phase. Taken together, we suggest that TGF-beta 1 produced in tumour tissues after chemotherapy participates in gathering transferred LAK cells and contributes to the therapeutic effects of transferred LAK cells.

Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents; Base Sequence; Chemotactic Factors; Chemotaxis, Leukocyte; Cyclophosphamide; Cytokines; Female; Fibrosarcoma; Killer Cells, Lymphokine-Activated; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Molecular Sequence Data; Recombinant Proteins; RNA, Messenger; Transforming Growth Factor beta

Overexpression of membrane-type matrix metalloproteinase (MT-MMP-1) results in the activation of both endogenous and exogenous 72-kDa gelatinase. To understand the effects of MT-MMP-1 on 72-kDa gelatinase activation, we analyzed its expression in human fibroblasts and HT-1080 fibrosarcoma cells. Both cell types expressed the MT-MMP-1 mRNA constitutively at a considerable level and treatment of cells with PMA enhanced the expression about 2-3-fold. Concanavalin A treatment increased MT-MMP-1 mRNA levels in fibroblasts about 4-fold. Induction of MT-MMP-1 by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) required protein synthesis as shown by cycloheximide inhibition. The induction was also inhibited by dexamethasone. Analysis of MT-MMP-1 mRNA stability using actinomycin D indicated that the half-life was rather long and not affected by PMA, suggesting transcriptional regulation. Only HT-1080 cells had significant 72-kDa gelatinase processing activity after treatment with PMA or concanavalin A, while fibroblasts were virtually negative. Immunoblotting analysis of fibroblast lysates indicated that MT-MMP-1 was present mainly in a 60-kDa form. PMA and concanavalin A caused 2-4-fold increases in its protein levels, while in HT-1080 cells PMA, concanavalin A, or overexpression of MT-MMP-1 did not significantly enhance the level of the 60-kDa protein. Instead, an immunoreactive, proteolytically processed 43-kDa form was observed, and its appearance correlated to 72-kDa gelatinase processing activity. Thus 72-kDa gelatinase activation, while enhanced by MT-MMP-1 expression, needs additional co-operating factors.

Topics: Base Sequence; Calcimycin; Cell Line; Collagenases; Concanavalin A; Cycloheximide; Cytokines; Dexamethasone; DNA Primers; Enzyme Activation; Epidermal Growth Factor; Fibroblast Growth Factor 2; Fibroblasts; Fibrosarcoma; Gelatinases; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; Growth Substances; Humans; Immunoblotting; Interleukin-1; Lung; Matrix Metalloproteinase 1; Molecular Sequence Data; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Recombinant Proteins; RNA, Messenger; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate; Transcription, Genetic; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Human T cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) causes adult T cell leukemia (ATL), and the virus-encoded trans-activator, Tax, plays an important role in T cell transformation. In the HTLV-1 long terminal repeat (LTR)-Tax transgenic mouse model, Tax expression causes fibroblastic tumors. A tumor-derived cell line (B line) obtained from an explant of a Tax-transformed tumor, was established. This line expresses high levels of many cytokines as a consequence of Tax activation. However, the tumors are not immunogenic when transplanted into syngeneic mice. Because B line cells do not express the immunogenic cytokine interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), a replication-defective adenoviral vector was used to deliver the IFN-gamma gene to tumor cells. The recombinant IFN-gamma adenovirus (IFN-gamma/Ad) can efficiently infect B line cells, resulting in high levels of IFN-gamma expression and secretion. Local secretion of IFN-gamma from B line cells caused both CD(4+)- and CD(8+)-positive T cell infiltration, and completely inhibited local tumor development in transplanted mice. Immunization with these cells significantly delayed tumor development after subsequent challenges of parental tumor cells. Expression of IFN-gamma in B cells also partially inhibited the highly expressed immune suppressive cytokine, transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1). This system provides us with a valuable tumor immune therapy model to evaluate the effects of cytokines in induction or inhibition of specific antitumor immunity.

Topics: Adenoviruses, Human; Animals; B-Lymphocytes; Down-Regulation; Fibrosarcoma; Gene Expression; Gene Products, tax; Gene Transfer Techniques; Genetic Therapy; Genetic Vectors; Human T-lymphotropic virus 1; Humans; Interferon-gamma; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Neoplasm Transplantation; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Vaccination

The early growth response 1 (EGR-1) gene product is a transcription factor with role in differentiation and growth. We have previously shown that expression of exogenous EGR-1 in various human tumor cells unexpectedly and markedly reduces growth and tumorigenicity and, conversely, that suppression of endogenous Egr-1 expression by antisense RNA eliminates protein expression, enhances growth, and promotes phenotypic transformation. However, the mechanism of these effects remained unknown. The promoter of human transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) contains two GC-rich EGR-1 binding sites. We show that expression of EGR-1 in human HT-1080 fibrosarcoma cells uses increased secretion of biologically active TGF-beta 1 in direct proportion (rPearson = 0.96) to the amount of EGR-1 expressed and addition of recombinant human TGF-beta 1 is strongly growth-suppressive for these cells. Addition of monoclonal anti-TGF-beta 1 antibodies to EGR-1-expressing HT-1080 cells completely reverses the growth inhibitory effects of EGR-1. Reporter constructs bearing the EGR-1 binding segment of the TGF-beta 1 promoter was activated 4- to 6-fold relative to a control reporter in either HT-1080 cells that stably expressed or parental cells cotransfected with an EGR-1 expression vector. Expression of delta EGR-1, a mutant that cannot interact with the corepressors, nerve growth factor-activated factor binding proteins NAB1 and NAB2, due to deletion of the repressor domain, exhibited enhanced transactivation of 2- to 3.5-fold over that of wild-type EGR-1 showing that the reporter construct reflected the appropriate in vivo regulatory context. The EGR-1-stimulated transactivation was inhibited by expression of the Wilms tumor suppressor, a known specific DNA-binding competitor. These results indicate that EGR-1 suppresses growth of human HT-1080 fibrosarcoma cells by induction of TGF-beta 1.

Topics: Binding Sites; Cell Differentiation; Cell Division; Cell Line; Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase; DNA-Binding Proteins; Early Growth Response Protein 1; Fibrosarcoma; Genes, Reporter; Genetic Vectors; Humans; Immediate-Early Proteins; Kinetics; Phenotype; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Recombinant Proteins; Transcription Factors; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Zinc Fingers

We have previously reported that cancer chemotherapy prior to lymphokine activated-killer (LAK) cell-transfer gave synergistic increase in therapeutic effects of LAK adoptive immunotherapy on transplanted tumors, BMT-11 fibrosarcoma and 3LL lung carcinoma, in C57 BL/6 mice, and that transferred LAK cell-accumulation into tumor tissues was enhanced by treatment with anti-cancer drugs. The author tried to analyze mechanisms responsible for the enhanced LAK cell-accumulation into tumor tissues after chemotherapy by under agarose migration assay and LAK migration inhibitory assay. The author detected a chemotactic factor for LAK cells (LAK-attractant) and a migration inhibitory factor for LAK cells (LAK-MIF) in the conditioned medium of tumor tissues from mice treated with various anti-cancer drugs, which was not found in that of untreated tumor tissues. Since mRNA expression for transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) was found to enhance in tumor tissues after chemotherapy through RT-PCR, the author examined a possible participation of TGF-beta 1 as LAK-attractant in tumor tissues of mice treated with cyclophosphamide. Recombinant human TGF-beta 1 showed LAK-attractant activity, and anti-TGF-beta 1 antibody inhibited LAK-attractant activity in the conditioned medium. These findings indicate that TGF-beta 1 produced in tumor tissues of mice treated with anti-cancer drugs may be one of LAK-attractants. On the other hand, LAK-MIF activity was concentrated in the fraction of less than 3kDa which is a smaller molecule than that of TGF-beta 1. These findings suggest that both TGF-beta 1 and LAK-MIF produced in tumor tissues after chemotherapy contributed to the enhanced accumulation of transferred LAK cells into tumor tissues after the chemotherapy.

Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Cell Movement; Female; Fibrosarcoma; Humans; Immunotherapy, Adoptive; Interleukin-2; Killer Cells, Lymphokine-Activated; Leukocyte Migration-Inhibitory Factors; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Recombinant Proteins; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Cytokine genes encode proteins that modulate immune system responses. Modification of tumor cells by the introduction of cytokine genes has been used as a strategy to augment host immunity. Interleukin 7 (IL-7) gene transfer enhances the immune response to tumor cells and can result in tumor regression. Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) is a potent immunosuppressive cytokine produced by many tumors. We have previously reported that recombinant IL-7 decreases the expression of TGF-beta 1 by murine macrophages.. This study investigates the inhibition of tumor-derived TGF-beta 1 production as a possible mechanism for the enhanced antitumor immunity that accompanies IL-7 gene transfer.. A fibrosarcoma cell line (FSA-JmIL-7) genetically modified to produce IL-7 was used to evaluate the effects of IL-7 on tumor production of TGF-beta 1. The control cell line (FSA-Jneo) originated from the same parental fibrosarcoma cell line (FSA) and was produced by transduction with the same retroviral vector without the IL-7 gene. FSA-Jneo and FSA-JmIL-7 tumor cells were evaluated for the expression of TGF-beta 1 messenger RNA (mRNA). To determine if the observed change in TGF-beta 1 mRNA was associated with an alteration in protein secretion, we compared supernatants from tumor cell cultures for TGF-beta 1 production. Specific anti-TGF-beta 1 monoclonal antibody (MAb) was used to confirm the role of TGF-beta 1 in these assays.. Compared with FSA parental and FSA-Jneo cells, FSA-JmIL-7 cells expressed TGF-beta 1 mRNA at a lower level. Compared with supernatants from FSA-Jneo cells, FSA-JmIL-7 supernatants contained consistently lower levels of TGF-beta 1 activity (P < .05). In addition, FSA-Jneo supernatants suppressed lymphocyte proliferation to a significantly greater degree than supernatants from FSA-JmIL-7 cells (P < .05). Studies with anti-TGF-beta 1 MAb added to the supernatants confirmed the role of TGF-beta 1 in inhibition of lymphocyte proliferation.. These findings suggest that IL-7 gene transfer inhibits the production of TGF-beta 1 by tumor cells and thus may enhance the efficacy of the host's antitumor immune response.. The regulation of endogenous tumor-derived cytokines in response to cytokine gene transfer may contribute to altered immune responses in the tumor microenvironment and thus may be an important additional parameter to assess in gene therapy.

Topics: Animals; Fibrosarcoma; Gene Expression; Gene Transfer Techniques; In Vitro Techniques; Interleukin-7; Lymphocyte Activation; Mice; Neoplasms, Experimental; RNA, Messenger; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Ribonucleotide reductase is a key rate-limiting and regulatory step in DNA synthesis and plays a crucial role in the coordination of DNA synthesis, DNA repair, and cell proliferation. The present study demonstrates a link between alterations in TGF-beta 1 regulation during malignant conversion and the expression of ribonucleotide reductase. H-ras-transformed mouse 10T1/2 cell lines exhibiting malignant potential were examined for possible TGF-beta 1-mediated alterations in ribonucleotide reductase expression. Selective induction of ribonucleotide reductase gene expression occurred, since only H-ras-transformed highly metastatic cells exhibited marked elevations in ribonucleotide reductase expression, whereas nontransformed normal 10T1/2 cells were unaffected by TGF-beta 1 treatment. These changes occurred without any detectable modifications in DNA synthesis rates, suggesting that these changes were regulated by a novel mechanism independent of the S-phase of the cell cycle. Furthermore, this TGF-beta 1-mediated regulation of ribonucleotide reductase expression was shown to occur through an autocrine mechanism. TGF-beta 1-modulated regulation of ribonucleotide reductase expression requires de novo protein synthesis and involves, at least in part, transcriptional and post-transcriptional events. Furthermore, evidence is presented to suggest a possible role for protein kinase C-mediated events, protein phosphatases, and G-protein-coupled events in the TGF-beta 1-mediated regulation of ribonucleotide reductase expression in H-ras-transformed malignant cells. TGF-beta 1 regulation of ribonucleotide reductase in highly malignant cells appears to be complex and multifaceted and constitutes an integral part of an altered growth regulatory program.

Topics: Animals; Cell Line, Transformed; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; Fibrosarcoma; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Genes, ras; Mice; Ribonucleotide Reductases; S Phase; Transfection; Transforming Growth Factor beta

Tumor-derived transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) suppresses several immune responses. Because tumor growth induces macrophage (m phi) suppressor activity, we determined whether murine fibrosarcoma-derived TGF-beta 1 contributed to m phi-mediated suppression of autoantigen- and alloantigen-stimulated T cell proliferation. The murine fibrosarcoma Meth-KDE cell line constitutively produced TGF-beta 1. Meth-KDE tumor-bearing host (TBH) syngeneic splenic m phi s suppressed autoantigen- and alloantigen-stimulated normal host (NH) CD4+ T cell proliferation. Pretreatment with Meth-KDE supernatants induced NH m phi s to suppress T cell proliferation as much as TBH m phi s. Anti-TGF-beta 1 antibody treatment reversed Meth-KDE-induced NH m phi-mediated suppression. Recombinant TGF-beta 1-induced m phi-mediated suppression was not blocked during inhibition of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), nitric oxide (NO), or TGF-beta 1 production. However, Meth-KDE-induced m phi-mediated suppression was partly reduced when PGE2 production was inhibited. Pretreatment with tumor cell-derived TGF-beta 1, but not recombinant TGF-beta 1, increased activated m phi PGE2 production. These results show that additional tumor-derived molecules aid in TGF-beta 1-enhanced PGE2 production. Also, TGF-beta 1 alone up-regulates m phi synthesis of suppressor molecules that are different from PGE2, NO, and TGF-beta 1. Although TGF-beta 1 has direct suppressor activity on lymphocytes, these results show that release of tumor cell TGF-beta 1 also induces m phi suppressor activity.

Topics: Animals; Dinoprostone; Fibrosarcoma; Lymphocyte Activation; Macrophage Activation; Macrophages; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Inbred C3H; Recombinant Proteins; Suppressor Factors, Immunologic; Transforming Growth Factor beta

The human myeloid leukemia cell lines HL-60, U-937, and THP-1 were used to analyze the alterations of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) during hematopoietic cell growth and differentiation. Differentiation of these cell lines was induced by the phorbol ester phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, tumor necrosis factor alpha or by retinoic acid. Northern hybridization analyses indicated that the basal levels of TGF-beta 1, latent TGF-beta binding protein, and type II TGF-beta receptor (T beta IIR) mRNAs were low in untreated cells. Major increases of these mRNAs were observed in cells treated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, with maximal induction after 12-72 h of stimulation. Retinoic acid and tumor necrosis factor alpha elevated significantly only the expression of T beta IIR mRNA. TGF-beta 1 induced its receptor mRNA in HL-60 and U937-1SF cells but not in THP-1 cells. These changes in gene expression were related to the differentiation of myeloid leukemia cells. Affinity labeling with 125I-TGF-beta 1 indicated that type I TGF-beta receptor was coregulated with T beta IIR. Types I and II receptors were coprecipitated by T beta IIR-specific antibodies. Differentiation of myeloid cells induced secretion of latent TGF-beta 1 protein, as shown by immunoblotting, but significant changes in the levels of active TGF-beta were not observed. These results indicate that the genes involved in TGF-beta signal transduction are coordinately up-regulated during myeloid differentiation.

Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Antibodies; Base Sequence; Cell Differentiation; Cell Line; Cloning, Molecular; DNA Primers; Fibrosarcoma; Gene Expression; Humans; Kinetics; Leukemia, Myeloid; Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute; Lung; Mink; Molecular Sequence Data; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta; Recombinant Fusion Proteins; RNA, Messenger; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate; Time Factors; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tretinoin; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Transforming growth factor (TGF-beta) is a family of multifunctional signalling molecules that play a fundamental role in both normal and malignant cell behavior. Procedures that alter mouse TGF-beta 1 gene expression provide an important approach for analyzing the complex regulatory processes associated with this member of the growth factor family. Therefore, we have designed oligodeoxyribonucleotides (oligos) in an antisense orientation, which are complementary to regions of the TGF-beta 1 message, in an attempt to obtain an oligo sequence that specifically reduces TGF-beta 1 synthesis. We observed that oligos containing a mixture of phosphorothioate and phosphodiester linkages were less toxic and more specific when compared to those only containing phosphorothioate. A non-toxic sequence was identified that markedly reduced the levels of TGF-beta 1 in oligo-treated malignant mouse fibrosarcoma cells. The invasive and metastatic properties of these fibrosarcoma cells were also significantly decreased following treatment with the antisense oligo. The results indicate an important role for altered TGF-beta 1 expression in the regulation of malignant cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis. These results also indicate that this oligo sequence is a useful tool for studies directed towards understanding the complex relationships between TGF-beta 1 and cellular regulation.

Topics: Animals; Base Sequence; Fibrosarcoma; Gene Expression; Mice; Molecular Sequence Data; Neoplasm Invasiveness; Neoplasm Metastasis; Oligonucleotides, Antisense; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured

The NF-kappa B transcription factor is a pleiotropic activator that participates in the induction of a wide variety of cellular genes. Antisense oligomer inhibition of the RelA subunit of NF-kappa B results in a block of cellular adhesion and inhibition of tumor cell growth. Investigation of the molecular basis for these effects showed that in vitro inhibition of the growth of transformed fibroblasts by relA antisense oligonucleotides can be reversed by the parental-cell-conditioned medium. Cytokine profile analysis of these cells treated with relA antisense oligonucleotides revealed inhibition of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta 1 to the transformed fibroblasts reversed the inhibitory effects of relA antisense oligomers on soft agar colony formation and cell adhesion to the substratum. Direct inhibition of TGF-beta 1 expression by antisense phosphorothioates to TGF-beta 1 mimicked the in vitro effects of blocking cell adhesion that are elicited by antisense relA oligomers. These results may explain the in vitro effects of relA antisense oligomers on fibrosarcoma cell growth and adhesion.

Topics: Animals; Base Sequence; Cell Adhesion; Cell Division; Cytokines; DNA Primers; Fibrosarcoma; Gene Expression; In Vitro Techniques; Mice; Molecular Sequence Data; NF-kappa B; Oligonucleotides, Antisense; RNA, Messenger; Transcription Factor RelA; Transforming Growth Factor beta

The YIGSR (Tyr-Ile-Gly-Ser-Arg) peptide, derived from the laminin beta 1 chain, decreases tumor metastasis and growth in experimental animals. The mechanism responsible for this inhibition is not known. We now report that a 16-mer branched form of YIGSR, synthesized by the multimeric antigen peptide system, induced the apoptosis of HT-1080 cells in vitro at 30 micrograms/ml (approximately 3 microM). Tumor cells treated with this peptide showed the expected morphological changes associated with apoptosis, acridine orange staining of nuclei, increased numbers of 3'-OH ends of DNA in nuclei, a DNA ladder pattern on agarose gels, and increased transforming growth factor beta 1 mRNA by Northern blot. The specificity of this peptide was confirmed by inhibition of apoptosis with a neutralizing antibody to the peptide. In addition, the branched 16-mer peptides of scrambled sequence did not induce apoptosis. Our in vitro results suggest that apoptosis may play a role in the antimetastatic and antitumor effects associated with the YIGSR peptide.

Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Apoptosis; Cell Adhesion; Cell Division; Fibrosarcoma; Humans; Laminin; Molecular Sequence Data; Oligopeptides; RNA, Messenger; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured

The role of latent transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) binding protein (LTBP) in the association of TGF-beta 1 to the extracellular matrix of cultured fibroblasts and HT-1080 fibrosarcoma cells was studied by immunochemical methods. The matrices were isolated from the cells, and the levels of LTBP and TGF-beta 1 were estimated by immunoblotting and immunoprecipitation. LTBP, TGF-beta 1, and its propeptide (latency-associated peptide, LAP) were found to associate to the extracellular matrix. Immunoblotting analysis indicated that treatment of the cells with plasmin resulted in a concomitant time and dose dependent release of both LTBP and TGF-beta 1 from the extracellular matrix to the supernatant. Comparison of molecular weights suggested that plasmin treatment resulted in the cleavage of LTBP from the high molecular weight fibroblast form to a form resembling the low molecular weight LTBP found in platelets. Pulse-chase and immunoprecipitation analysis indicated that both the free form of LTBP and LTBP complexed to latent TGF-beta were efficiently incorporated in the extracellular matrix, from where both complexes were slowly released to the culture medium. Addition of plasmin to the chase solution resulted, however, in a rapid release of LTBP from the matrix. Fibroblast derived LTBP was found to associate to the matrix of HT-1080 cells in a plasmin sensitive manner as shown by immunoprecipitation analysis. These results suggest that the latent form of TGF-beta 1 associates with the extracellular matrix via LTBP, and that the release of latent TGF-beta 1 from the matrix is a consequence of proteolytic cleavage(s) of LTBP.

Topics: Carrier Proteins; Cell Line; Extracellular Matrix; Fibrinolysin; Fibroblasts; Fibrosarcoma; Humans; In Vitro Techniques; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Latent TGF-beta Binding Proteins; Molecular Weight; Protein Binding; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured

TGF-beta is a potent stimulator of motility in a variety of cell types. It has recently been shown that hyaluronan (HA) can directly promote locomotion of cells through interaction with the HA receptor RHAMM. We have investigated the role of RHAMM and HA in TGF-beta-stimulated locomotion and show that TGF-beta triggers the transcription, synthesis and membrane expression of the RHAMM receptor and the secretion of HA coincident with the induction of the locomotory response. This was demonstrated by both incubating cells with exogenous TGF-beta 1 and by stimulating the production of bioactive TGF-beta 1 in tumor cells transfected with TGF-beta 1 under the control of the metallothionein promoter. TGF-beta 1-induced locomotion was suppressed by antibodies that prevented HA/RHAMM interaction, using polyclonal antibodies to either RHAMM fusion protein or RHAMM peptides, or mAbs to purified RHAMM. Peptides corresponding to the HA-binding motif of RHAMM also suppressed TGF-beta 1-induced increases in motility rate. Spontaneous locomotion of fibrosarcoma cells was blocked by neutralizing secreted TGF-beta with panspecific TGF-beta antibodies and by inhibition of TGF-beta 1 secretion with antisense oligonucleotides. Polyclonal anti-RHAMM fusion protein antibodies and peptide from the RHAMM HA-binding motif also suppressed the spontaneous motility rate of fibrosarcoma cells. These data suggest that fibrosarcoma cell locomotion requires TGF-beta, and the pathway by which TGF-beta stimulates locomotion uses the HA receptor RHAMM and HA.

Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Base Sequence; Carrier Proteins; Cell Line; Cell Membrane; Cell Movement; Fibrosarcoma; Genes, ras; Hyaluronan Receptors; Hyaluronic Acid; Kanamycin Kinase; Kinetics; Mice; Molecular Sequence Data; Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; Oligonucleotides, Antisense; Oligopeptides; Phosphotransferases (Alcohol Group Acceptor); Receptors, Cell Surface; Receptors, Lymphocyte Homing; Time Factors; Transcription, Genetic; Transfection; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured

The present study deals with the effect of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) on anti-tumor immune responsiveness at various stages of the tumor-bearing state. Spleen cells from BALB/c mice bearing a syngeneic tumor (CSA1M) 1-3 wk after inoculation with CSA1M cells produced interleukin-2 (IL-2) and macrophage-activating factor (MAF)/interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) upon in vitro culture without addition of exogenous tumor antigens. This lymphokine production was achieved through collaboration between anti-CSA1M CD4+ T cells and antigen-presenting cells that had been pulsed with CSA1M tumor antigens in vivo in the tumor-bearing state. The IL-2-producing capacity of CD4+ T cells reached the maximal level as early as one week after tumor implantation but decreased with the progress of tumor-bearing stages. In contrast, the capacity of CD4+ T cells to produce MAF/IFN-gamma was not affected but was maintained at high levels even late in the tumor-bearing state. The addition of recombinant TGF-beta (rTGF-beta) to cultures of spleen cells from various tumor-bearing stages resulted in the suppression of lymphokine production. However, the magnitude of the TGF-beta-induced suppression varied depending on which tumor-bearing stages of splenic cells were tested as a responding cell population; it was slight in cells from early (1-3 wk) tumor-bearing stages but increased in cells from donor mice at later tumor-bearing stages. Thus, spleen cells from late tumor-bearing stages with weak but significant IL-2-producing and considerable MAF/IFN-gamma producing capacities failed to produce these lymphokines when rTGF-beta was present in cultures. A progressive increase in the TGF-beta susceptibility was also observed for IL-4-producing Th2 as well as IL-2/MAF-producing Th1 cells. In addition, increased levels of TGF-beta were detected in plasma from tumor-bearing mice at late stages. Taken together, these results indicate that tumor-bearing mice exhibit enhanced production of TGF-beta as well as a progressive increase in the susceptibility of anti-tumor CD4+ T cells to TGF-beta-induced suppressive mechanisms.

Topics: Animals; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; Cell Division; Cells, Cultured; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Fibrosarcoma; Immune Tolerance; Interferon-gamma; Interleukin-2; Interleukin-4; Macrophage-Activating Factors; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Spleen; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic; T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer; Time Factors; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Overexpression of the multifunctional growth factor transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF beta 1) has been connected to numerous diseases in human. TGF beta 1 expression is largely governed by three AP-1 binding sites located in two different promoters of this gene. We have examined the ability of retinoid receptors to inhibit the activity of the two promoters (especially the promoter 1) by cotransfection assays in the hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2. When the TGF beta 1 promoter activity is induced by 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol13-acetate (an activator of AP-1-controlled gene transcription), this activity can be strongly repressed by retinoic acid receptor-alpha (RAR alpha), RAR beta, or retinoid X receptor-alpha (RXR alpha) as well as other members of the nuclear receptor family. Repression was hormone dependent and a function of receptor concentration. Heterodimerization of RAR alpha or RAR beta with RXR alpha did not modify the inhibition activities of these receptors, indicating that heterodimer formation is not required for antagonizing of AP-1 activity. On further examining the anti-AP-1 activity of RXR alpha we observed that three different AP-1-controlled promoters (TGF beta 1, collagenase, and cFos) can be inhibited. Using gel shift assays, we demonstrated that RXR alpha inhibits Jun and Fos DNA binding and that 9-cis RA enhances this inhibition, suggesting that a mechanism involving direct protein-protein interaction between RXR and AP-1 components mediates the inhibitory effect observed in vivo. Transfection analyses with RXR alpha point mutations revealed that residues L422, C432, and, to a lesser extent, residues L418 and L430, are involved in ligand-induced anti-AP1 activity of RXR alpha in vivo. Thus both types of retinoid receptors can inhibit AP-1-activated promoters, including the TGF beta 1 gene promoter, via a mechanism that involves protein-protein interaction.

Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Base Sequence; Binding Sites; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; Collagenases; Fibrosarcoma; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Genes, fos; Humans; Liver Neoplasms; Molecular Sequence Data; Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; Receptors, Retinoic Acid; Retinoid X Receptors; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate; Transcription Factors; Transfection; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Negative growth regulators such as the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) family appear to be important inhibitors in most tissue types. However, inhibition of DNA synthesis and cell proliferation is frequently lost during malignant transformation, and in some cases, tumor cell proliferation is actually stimulated by TGF-beta. The present study demonstrates a novel link between alterations in TGF-beta regulation during malignant conversion, and the expression of ornithine decarboxylase, a key rate-limiting activity in the biosynthesis of polyamines, and an enzyme that plays an important role in cell growth and differentiation. A panel of radiation and H-ras transformed mouse 10T1/2 cell lines exhibiting increasing malignant potential was investigated for possible TGF-beta 1 mediated changes in ornithine decarboxylase gene expression. Selective induction of gene expression was observed since only H-ras transformed cell lines with malignant potential exhibited marked elevations in ornithine decarboxylase message levels. Ornithine decarboxylase gene expression in nontransformed 10T1/2 cells and cell lines capable of only benign tumor formation was unaffected by TGF-beta 1 treatment. H-ras transformed cells were transfected with a plasmid placing the TGF-beta 1 coding region under the control of a zinc sensitive metallothionein promoter. When these cells were cultured in the presence of zinc an elevation of TGF-beta 1 mRNA was observed within 30 min. This increase in TGF-beta 1 message closely coincided with an elevation in ornithine decarboxylase message, and preceded an induction of jun-B, an early response gene in cells sensitive to TGF-beta 1 stimulation. Evidence for regulation of ornithine decarboxylase gene expression by TGF-beta 1 at both transcription and posttranscription was found. Actinomycin D pretreatment of malignant cells prior to TGF-beta 1 exposure prevented the increase in ornithine decarboxylase message. Marked differences in the rates of ornithine decarboxylase message decay were observed when cells treated with TGF-beta 1 were compared to untreated controls, with the half-life of ornithine decarboxylase mRNA increasing from 2.5 h in untreated cells to 17.5 h in cells exposed to TGF-beta 1. In addition, evidence was obtained for a cycloheximide sensitive regulator of ornithine decarboxylase gene expression, since the presence of this protein synthesis inhibitor increased the levels of ornithine decarboxylase message, and this effe

Topics: Animals; Blotting, Northern; Cell Line, Transformed; Cycloheximide; DNA, Neoplasm; Fibrosarcoma; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Genes, ras; Mice; Ornithine Decarboxylase; RNA, Messenger; Transcription, Genetic; Transforming Growth Factor beta

Rat adenocarcinoma 13762 was adapted to continuous growth in culture and used in a variety of experiments to investigate the immune response to inoculation of animals with replication-defective tumor cells. The results demonstrate that 13762 cells express tumor-specific tumor rejection antigens that elicit protective immunity to tumorigenic challenge. By several criteria there is no apparent humoral component of the anti-tumor immunity; however, anti-tumor immunity is characterized by nylon-wool nonadherent spleen T cells. Anti-tumor T cells demonstrate tumoricidal activity in local adoptive transfer assays and are not found in spleens of naive animals or animals immunized against either nontumorigenic Rat 1 cells or a syngeneic fibrosarcoma. Despite the expression of tumor rejection antigens 13762 tumor, and the demonstrable ability of injection of irradiated tumor to induce anti-tumor immunity, tumors elicited in unimmunized syngeneic animals grow progressively. The reasons for growth of antigenic tumor are unknown but are shown not to be due to defective antigen expression in 13762 tumor since, in addition to being able to elicit T cell immune response in immunized animals, 13762 tumor expresses MHC Class I molecules and can be a target for allogeneic T cell recognition in vitro. These data suggest that in tumor-bearing animals an effective anti-tumor immune response is either not initiated or down-regulated. Since animals bearing 13762 tumors can be immunized against an unrelated syngeneic sarcoma, can produce humoral responses to several protein antigens, and can produce delayed type hypersensitivity response against dinitrofluorobenzene, the immune response to 13762-induced tumors appears specifically suppressed. In support of this contention, 13762 cells express high levels of transforming growth factor beta 1 in vitro which is postulated to impact upon the nascent anti-tumor immune response.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Adjuvants, Immunologic; Animals; Antibodies, Neoplasm; Antigens, Neoplasm; Dinitrofluorobenzene; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Fibrosarcoma; Flow Cytometry; Hemagglutination Tests; Hemocyanins; Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; Hypersensitivity, Delayed; Immune Tolerance; Immunotherapy, Adoptive; Interferon-gamma; Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental; Neoplasm Transplantation; Rats; Rats, Inbred F344; T-Lymphocytes; Time Factors; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured

A sensitive immunoblotting assay was developed for the detection of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta 1 from cell extracts and culture medium. HT-1080 human fibrosarcoma cells and human fibroblasts were used as models for the secretion and proteolytic release of pericellular matrix-associated TGF-beta 1. Analysis of the pericellular matrices of the cells indicated that the majority of cell-layer associated TGF-beta 1 was associated with the pericellular matrix. Treatment of the cells with plasmin or thrombin released the matrix-associated TGF-beta 1 to the culture medium. Assays for the biological activity of plasmin-released TGF-beta 1 by Mv1Lu cell growth inhibition assays indicated that the majority was in the latent form. Northern hybridization analyses indicated that the mRNA levels of TGF-beta 1 were not elevated during the proteinase treatment. Experiments using radiolabeled TGF-beta 1 indicated that exogenous active TGF-beta 1 associates mainly with the presumed TGF-beta 1 receptors that were not retained in the extracellular matrix preparations. These results indicate that a major fraction of latent TGF-beta 1 that is produced by the cells is deposited to and remains associated with the pericellular matrices of cultured fibroblasts and fibrosarcoma cells, and that matrix-associated TGF-beta 1 is very susceptible to release by various proteolytic enzymes.

Topics: Animals; Blotting, Northern; Cell Division; Cell Line; Cell Membrane; Extracellular Matrix; Fibrinolysin; Fibrosarcoma; Humans; Immunoblotting; Iodine Radioisotopes; Kinetics; Lung; Mink; Poly A; RNA; RNA, Messenger; Thrombin; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured

We investigated the capacities of various tumor types to generate an active versus latent form of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) in its culture supernatants (SNs). Tumor cell lines were divided into three types depending on the form and magnitude of TGF-beta detected in their culture SNs: some (2 of 7 lines) generated mostly an active form (Type A); others (4 of 7) generated exclusively a latent form (Type B); and the remaining line (1 of 7) produced only marginal levels of active/latent TGF-beta (Type C). When Type A tumor cells were cultured at lower numbers, cultures failed to generate active TGF-beta. However, the addition of Type B tumor cell culture SNs containing only a latent form of TGF-beta resulted in the generation of the potent activity of active TGF-beta. This capacity was observed for another Type A tumor but not for other types (Type B and Type C). An active form of TGF-beta was detected in culture SNs of Type A tumor cells as early as 3-6 h after the addition of Type B tumor culture SNs. The emergence of an active form of TGF-beta was also observed in cultures of Type A tumor cells, the protein synthesis of which was almost completely inhibited by pretreatment with cycloheximide. Moreover, the Type B tumor SN used for the induction of active TGF-beta activity was found to contain latent TGF-beta with an apparent molecular weight of about 200,000. Type A tumor cells were also capable of generating active TGF-beta by the addition of recombinant TGF-beta of latent form with a small molecular weight (about 60,000), although the generation of active TGF-beta was much weaker after the addition of small latent TGF-beta than after the addition of large latent TGF-beta. Taken collectively, these results indicate that particular types of tumor cells have the capacity to generate an active form of TGF-beta and that such capacity can be attributed to their potential to convert TGF-beta from a latent (mainly large type) to an active form.

Topics: Animals; Cell-Free System; Culture Media; Cycloheximide; Fibrosarcoma; Liver Neoplasms, Experimental; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Inbred C3H; Sarcoma, Avian; Sarcoma, Experimental; Time Factors; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Mouse embryo-derived AKR-2B fibroblasts and murine fibrosarcoma cells (the 1591 cell line) were transfected with a murine transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF beta 1) cDNA under the transcriptional control of either the simian virus-40 early promoter or the cytomegalovirus promoter/enhancer. Selected clones secreted 2- to 4-fold more TGF beta-competing activity into their media than the parental cell line or neomycin-transfected controls. The TGF beta 1 released into the cell-conditioned medium was latent. Despite the latency of the overexpressed TGF beta 1, TGF beta 1-transfected cells exhibited phenotypic features of TGF beta 1-treated cells. When confluent, the TGF beta 1-transfected cells had the morphological characteristics of the parental cells that have been treated with active TGF beta 1. AKR-2B cells that expressed higher levels of TGF beta 1 also expressed high levels of c-sis and c-myc mRNAs and decreased TGF beta 2 and TGF beta 3 mRNAs in the same manner as parental AKR-2B cells that had been treated with active TGF beta 1. The transfected 1591 cells that overexpressed TGF beta 1 bound less [125I]TGF beta 1 than did parental 1591 cells, but after a mild acid wash demonstrated an increase in [125I]TGF beta 1 binding. Our results suggest that these TGF beta 1-transfected fibroblast and fibrosarcoma cells have the capacity to activate TGF beta; however, as very little activated TGF beta is detected in the medium, it is hypothesized that these cells activate latent TGF beta 1 and bind the activated TGF beta 1, thus acquiring a phenotype consistent with TGF beta 1-treated cells.

Topics: Animals; Blotting, Northern; Cell Line; Embryo, Mammalian; Fibroblasts; Fibrosarcoma; Gene Expression; Kinetics; Mice; Mice, Inbred C3H; Phenotype; Plasmids; Poly A; Receptors, Cell Surface; Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta; RNA; RNA, Messenger; Sarcoma, Experimental; Suramin; Transfection; Transforming Growth Factor beta

The complete structure of the human gene for 92-kDa type IV collagenase was determined. Two overlapping genomic clones spanning 26 kilobases (kb) of genomic DNA were shown to contain the entire 7.7-kb structural gene together with 15 and 3.5 kb of 5'-end and 3'-end flanking regions, respectively. The 92-kDa type IV collagenase gene contains 13 exons as does the 72-kDa type IV collagenase gene. All intron locations of the 92-kDa enzyme gene coincided with intron locations in the 72-kDa enzyme gene. Exons 5, 6, and 7 which were 174, 174, and 177 base pairs long, respectively, each encoded one complete internal repeat which resembles the collagen-binding domains of fibronectin. The sequence coding for a unique 48-residue segment in the 92-kDa type IV collagenase that has no counterpart in other metalloproteinases was not present in a separate exon, but was contained in exon 9 which also codes for sequences with homology to the other metalloproteinases. The initiation site for transcription was determined by primer extension analysis. Sequencing analysis of 599 base pairs of the 5'-end flanking region showed that the promoter does not have a TATA motif, but a TTAAA sequence at position -29 to -25. A CAAT motif was not observed but there was one GC box. Two putative 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) response elements, that might serve as binding sites for the transcription factor AP-1 and a consensus sequence of a transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) inhibitory element were found in the promoter region. Gelatinase assay of enzyme secreted by cultured human fibrosarcoma cells (HT-1080) revealed only low levels of 92-kDa type IV collagenase activity, whereas considerable activity of the 72-kDa enzyme was present. Northern hybridization analysis confirmed these findings. Treatment of the HT-1080 cells with TPA resulted in induction of the secretion of 92-kDa type IV collagenase activity. This induction could not be significantly inhibited by concomitant incubation with TGF-beta 1. TPA and TGF-beta 1 did not markedly affect the activities of the 72-kDa enzyme. The activities of the secreted 92- and 72-kDa enzymes by HT-1080 cells correlated with the amounts of mRNA as estimated by Northern analyses.

Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Base Sequence; Blotting, Northern; Cloning, Molecular; DNA; Exons; Fibrosarcoma; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; Humans; Introns; Kinetics; Microbial Collagenase; Molecular Sequence Data; Rats; Restriction Mapping; RNA, Messenger; Sequence Alignment; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured

We have investigated the effects of TGF-beta on the ability of the human fibrosarcoma cell line, HT1080, to invade a reconstituted basement membrane (Matrigel) in vitro. Exposure of HT1080 cells to TGF-beta (1-10ng/ml) caused a dose-dependent inhibition of HT1080 cell invasion. Unexpectedly, TGF-beta (10ng/ml) significantly enhanced (10-fold) the mRNA expression of the 68-72kDa latent type IV collagenase. Zymogram analysis revealed a 7-fold increase in the 68-72kDa latent type IV collagenase concomitant with an increase in the activated form (62kDa). TGF-beta induced the 92kDa type IV collagenase to a lesser degree. HT1080 cells exposed to TGF-beta also produced more tissue inhibitor of metalloprotease (TIMP) at both the mRNA (10-fold) and protein levels (5-fold). Although TGF-beta induced both type IV collagenases and TIMP, the net collagenolytic activity in the conditioned media after invasion assay was reduced in the presence of TGF-beta. The data suggest that the inhibition of invasiveness is due, at least in part, to the increased TIMP expression. These data suggest that TGF-beta may play a role in tumor cell invasion by increasing the expression of TIMP.

Topics: Cell Line; Fibrosarcoma; Gene Expression; Glycoproteins; Humans; Microbial Collagenase; Neoplasm Invasiveness; Nucleic Acid Hybridization; Recombinant Proteins; RNA, Messenger; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases; Transforming Growth Factor beta

We examined the effects of TGF-beta 1 on induction of several activated macrophage antimicrobial activities against the protozoan parasite Leishmania, and on induction of tumoricidal activity against the fibrosarcoma tumor target 1023. TGF-beta by itself did not affect the viability of either the intracellular or extracellular target in concentrations up to 200 ng/ml. As little as 1 ng/ml TGF-beta, however, suppressed more than 70% of the intracellular killing activity of macrophages treated with lymphokines. In contrast, more than 100 ng/ml TGF-beta was required to suppress intracellular killing by cells activated with an equivalent amount of recombinant IFN-gamma. Addition of TGF-beta for up to 30 min after exposure to activation factors significantly reduced macrophage killing of intracellular parasites. Pretreatment of macrophages with TGF-beta was even more effective: treatment of cells with TGF-beta for 4 h before addition of activation factors abolished all macrophage intracellular killing activity. Regardless of treatment sequence, however, TGF-beta had absolutely no effect, at any concentration tested, on activated macrophage resistance to infection induced by lymphokines or by the cooperative interaction of IFN-gamma and IL-4. Effects of TGF-beta on tumoricidal activity of activated macrophages was intermediate to that of its effects on intracellular killing or resistance to infection. Lymphokine-induced tumor cytotoxicity was marginally (25%) affected by TGF-beta; 200 ng/ml was able to suppress IFN-gamma-induced tumoricidal activity by 40%. Thus, TGF-beta dramatically suppressed certain activated macrophage cytotoxic effector reactions, but was only partially or not at all effective against others, even when the same activation agent (IFN-gamma) was used. The biochemical target for TGF-beta suppressive activity in these reactions may be the pathway for nitric oxide production from L-arginine, because TGF-beta also inhibited the generation of nitric oxide by cytokine-activated macrophages.

Topics: Animals; Culture Media; Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; Fibrosarcoma; Interferon-gamma; Kinetics; Leishmania tropica; Macrophages; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Inbred C3H; Suppressor Factors, Immunologic; T-Lymphocytes; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured

During infection, inflammation, immune responses, and neoplastic growth, various cytokines are produced affecting both susceptibility to and protection from cellular death. We have studied the protective effect of pretreatment of the L929 fibroblast cell line with interleukin 1 beta (IL-1 beta), IL-6, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), or transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta) on subsequent TNF/actinomycin D-induced cytotoxicity. The protective effects of these cytokines on TNF cytotoxicity were time and concentration dependent. TGF-beta was the most effective cytokine, followed by TNF, IL-1 beta, and IL-6. Activators of protein kinase C also afforded protection, and TGF-beta acted synergistically with either phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate or the calcium ionophore A-23187. TGF-beta-induced protection against TNF was observed in cells subjected to prolonged treatment with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. Cells pretreated with prostaglandin E2 or cholera toxin amplified the sensitivity to TNF and inhibited TGF-beta-mediated resistance, whereas indomethacin enhanced the protective effect of TGF-beta. Cells cultured in the presence of IL-1 beta, IL-6, TNF-alpha, or TGF-beta for 6 h inhibited DNA synthesis, and this was associated with concomitant growth arrest in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. On the other hand, prostaglandin E2 or cholera toxin stimulated the progression of cells from G1 toward G2 + M which was associated with increased TNF sensitivity. We conclude that these cytokines protect against death by arresting growth in the G1 phase of the cell cycle.

Topics: Animals; Cell Cycle; Cholera Toxin; Dactinomycin; Dinoprostone; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Resistance; Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; Drug Synergism; Fibrosarcoma; G1 Phase; Humans; Indomethacin; Interleukin-1; Interleukin-6; Mice; Premedication; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate; Time Factors; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

The effects of transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) on the regulation of basement membrane gene expression were studied in human fibrosarcoma HT-1080 cell cultures. Treatment of cells with TGF-beta 1 resulted in a time- and dose-dependent enhancement of type IV collagen and fibronectin gene expression, as detected both at the mRNA level by Northern hybridizations and at the protein level by semi-quantitative indirect immunofluorescence analyses. These changes were accompanied by profoundly altered morphology of the cell cultures. In contrast, laminin B1 and B2 chain, and nidogen mRNA levels remained unaltered by TGF-beta 1 in the same cultures, indicating uncoordinate modulation of the expression of basement membrane components by TGF-beta 1. Cycloheximide experiments provided evidence that the TGF-beta 1-elicited upregulation of the expression of the fibronectin gene is, but that of type IV collagen is not, entirely dependent on protein synthesis, suggesting two different mechanisms for enhancement of gene expression. Incubation of HT-1080 cells with TGF-beta 1 also resulted in a slightly enhanced expression of beta 1 and alpha 5 integrin mRNAs, as well as beta 1 integrin epitopes. Furthermore, incubation of the cells with anti-beta 1 integrin antibodies partially counteracted the TGF-beta 1-induced morphologic alterations. These studies provide evidence for the role of beta 1 integrins in TGF-beta 1 elicited alterations in HT-1080 cell culture morphology, possibly mediated by the expression of ligand proteins for these integrins, such as type IV collagen and fibronectin.

Topics: Basement Membrane; Collagen; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Extracellular Matrix; Fibronectins; Fibrosarcoma; Gene Expression Regulation; Humans; Integrins; Phenotype; Protein Biosynthesis; RNA, Messenger; Time Factors; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured

The influence of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) on hematopoiesis has been evaluated by adding blocking antibodies against TGF-beta to colony forming assays (CFU-c). When optimum concentrations of recombinant growth factors, granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and interleukin-3 (IL-3) were added to stem cells from the peripheral blood of healthy individuals and certain patients with tumors or HIV infection, the anti-TGF-beta capable of blocking 5 ng/ml of active TGF-beta had no significant influence on erythroid or myeloid colony formation. However, in certain immunosuppressed individuals, anti-TGF-beta resulted in a significant decrease of erythroid colony formation and slight suppression of myeloid colony formation. The significant inhibition of hematopoiesis by plasma of HIV patients could be due to the presence of active forms of TGF-beta. The results of the blocking experiments are consistent with the concept that TGF-beta in low concentrations is essential for erythropoiesis and myelopoiesis but that higher levels of TGF-beta primarily inhibit erythropoiesis in vitro. TGF-beta serves as a coordinating factor when efficient recruitment of granulocytes and monocytes is more essential than erythropoiesis and stem cell growth.

Topics: Colony-Forming Units Assay; Fibrosarcoma; Hematopoietic Stem Cells; HIV Seropositivity; Humans; Immunocompromised Host; Sarcoma, Ewing; Transforming Growth Factor beta

Human fibrosarcoma cells derived from a patient with multiple metastases extensively degrade artificial basement membranes (BM) and secrete interstitial type of collagenase, a proteolytic enzyme responsible for degradation of type I collagen. Exposure of invasive cell line to TGF beta abrogates destruction of BM.TGF beta reduces collagenase activity and stimulates specific metalloproteinase inhibitor (TIMP) in invasive tumor cells. We preassume that TGF beta could play a protective role in tumor invasion.

Topics: Basement Membrane; Cells, Cultured; Epidermal Growth Factor; Fibroblast Growth Factors; Fibrosarcoma; Glycoproteins; Humans; Metalloendopeptidases; Microbial Collagenase; Neoplasm Invasiveness; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured

We have examined the possible role of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) in metastatic malignancy by analyzing the production and activation of TGF-beta 1 and -beta 2 and the regulation of TGF-beta-responsive genes in oncogene-transformed metastatic fibrosarcomas. All transformed lines derived from either 10T1/2 or NIH 3T3 by either H-ras or protein-kinase encoding oncogenes produced more TGF-beta than parental cells. However, only highly metastatic fibrosarcomas secreted activated TGF-beta at rates that were greater than parental fibroblasts. Immunohistochemical staining for TGF-beta 1 showed widespread intra- and extracellular distribution in metastatic lung nodules and adjacent tissue. Cells isolated from tumors successfully metastasizing to the lung had TGF-beta 1 mRNA levels which were increased 19-fold over in vitro controls. Despite the greatly enhanced rate of secretion of activated TGF-beta, metastatic cells exhibited markedly altered responses of TGF-beta 1 and TGF-beta 2, being unable to either increase collagen secretion or enhance collagen alpha 2(1) or TGF-beta 1 mRNA levels. This lack of response was not due to either altered TGF-beta receptor affinity or numbers. Metastatic progression was, therefore, associated with an increase in the secretion of activated TGF-beta 1 and a loss of the ability to deregulate TGF-beta-responsive genes.

Topics: Animals; Cell Line, Transformed; Fibrosarcoma; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Immunohistochemistry; Lung Neoplasms; Mice; Mice, Inbred C3H; Oncogenes; Protein Kinases; Receptors, Cell Surface; Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta; RNA, Messenger; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured