Expression of transforming growth factor alpha (TGF alpha) in breast cancer.

Transforming growth factor alpha (TGF alpha) is one growth factor that has been circumstantially implicated in regulating the autocrine growth of breast cancer cells. Expression of TGF alpha can be modulated by activated cellular protooncogenes such as ras and by estrogens. For example, the epidermal growth factor (EGF)-responsive normal NOG-8 mouse and human MCF-10A mammary epithelial cell lines can be transformed with either a point-mutated c-Ha-ras protooncogene or with a normal or point-mutated c-neu (erbB-2) protooncogene. In ras transformed NOG-8 and MCF-10A cells but not in neu transformed cells there is a loss in or an attenuated response to the mitogenic effects of EGF. This response may be due in part to an enhanced production of endogenous TGF alpha that is coordinately and temporally linked to the expression of the activated ras gene and to the acquisition of transformation-associated properties in these cells. TGF alpha mRNA and TGF alpha protein can also be detected in approximately 50-70% of primary human breast tumors. In addition, approximately 2- to 3-fold higher levels of biologically active and immunoreactive TGF alpha can also be detected in the pleural effusions from breast cancer patients as compared with the TGF alpha levels in the serous effusions of noncancer patients. Over-expression of a full-length TGF alpha cDNA in NOG-8 and MCF-10A cells is capable of transforming these cells. Finally, expression of TGF alpha mRNA and production of biologically active TGF alpha protein is also found in normal rodent and human mammary epithelial cells.

Transforming growth factor-alpha expression is enhanced in human mammary epithelial cells transformed by an activated c-Ha-ras protooncogene but not by the c-neu protooncogene, and overexpression of the transforming growth factor-alpha complementary DNA leads to transformation.

MCF-10A cells are a spontaneously immortalized normal human mammary epithelial cell line. MCF-10A cells were transfected with two expression vector plasmids containing either a human point-mutated c-Ha-ras protooncogene or the rat c-neu protooncogene. c-Ha-ras-transfected MCF-10A cells grow as colonies in soft agar, exhibit a 3- to 4-fold increase in their growth rate in serum-free medium, and show a reduced mitogenic response to exogenous epidermal growth factor (EGF) or transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF alpha) as compared to MCF-10A cells. c-Ha-ras-transfected MCF-10A cells express a 4- to 8-fold increase in TGF alpha mRNA levels and secrete 4- to 6-fold more TGF alpha protein as compared to MCF-10A cells. Addition of either an anti-TGF alpha neutralizing monoclonal antibody or an anti-EGF receptor blocking monoclonal antibody to the Ha-ras-transformed MCF-10A cells produces a 50 to 80% inhibition of colony formation of these cells in soft agar. c-neu-transfected MCF-10A cells grown in soft agar and exhibit an increase in their growth rate in serum-free medium at a level comparable to that observed in Ha-ras-transformed MCF-10A cells. Addition of an anti-c-erbB-2 monoclonal antibody inhibits the anchorage-independent growth of these cells in soft agar. However, c-neu-transformed MCF-10A cells show no increase in TGF alpha secretion and no change in their responsiveness to exogenous EGF or TGF alpha. A recombinant retroviral vector containing the human TGF alpha gene was also introduced into MCF-10A cells. TGF alpha-infected MCF-10A cells secrete 15- to 20-fold more TGF alpha protein than MCF-10A cells, form colonies in soft agar, exhibit an enhanced growth rate in serum-free medium, and show a decreased mitogenic response to exogenous EGF or TGF alpha at a level equivalent to Ha-ras-transformed MCF-10A cells. Growth of TGF alpha-infected MCF-10A cells in soft agar is completely inhibited by anti-TGF alpha neutralizing or anti-EGF receptor blocking monoclonal antibodies. These results suggest that TGF alpha is an intermediary in the transformation of human mammary epithelial cells by an activated c-Ha-ras gene, but not by the c-neu gene, and demonstrate that overexpression of this growth factor is able to transform immortalized human mammary epithelial cells which also express a sufficient complement of functional EGF receptors.

Isolation of a new class of 'flat' revertants from ras-transformed NIH3T3 cells using cis-4-hydroxy-L-proline.

A new class of nontransformed revertant cells has been isolated from the ras-transformed cell line DT using cis-4-hydroxy-L-proline (CHP) as a selective agent. The new revertants, CHP 9CJ and CHP CB4, each contain two copies of the v-Ki-ras gene, elevated levels of phosphorylated p21ras protein, and rescuable transforming virus, indicating that the revertant phenotype observed in these cells does not result from inactivation of v-Ki-ras or inhibition of its expression. Both CHP 9CJ and CHP CB4 revertants show a greatly reduced ability to form colonies in soft agar and to produce tumors in syngeneic mice. CHP 9CJ cells are resistant to retransformation by ras and by additional oncogenes that do not encode tyrosine kinases. A comparison of oncogene resistance patterns in these CHP-derived revertants with those from our original ouabain-derived revertants fos C-11 and F-2 indicates that oncogenes may be divided into four general groups. Oncogenes that encode proteins structurally related to p21ras comprise the first group. The second group contains only tyrosine kinase-encoding oncogenes. The third group is composed of 'nuclear', e.g. fos, and 'cytoplasmic' serine-threonine-encoding oncogenes such as mos and raf. The fourth group contains the oncogenes sis and fms.

Development of a retroviral vector for inducible expression of transforming growth factor beta 1.

A retroviral vector system for the expression of exogenous genes under the control of an inducible promoter was developed. By utilizing this system, the cDNA for human transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) was inserted into a retroviral vector under the control of an internal mouse metallothionein promoter and introduced via infection into normal rat kidney fibroblasts (NRK-49F) and epithelial cells (NRK-52E), Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO), and the human monocytic cell line U937. Control of TGF-beta 1 expression, achieved by Cd2+ induction of vector-encoded TGF-beta 1 mRNA, was cell line specific and resulted in a concomitant increase in neutralizable TGF-beta 1 production by the cells. Autocrine stimulation of vector-containing cells by vector-encoded TGF-beta 1 was detected by an increase in soft-agar colony formation of NRK-49F infectants compared with that of the control cells. In addition, the use of a second internal promoter in a retroviral vector of similar design allowed isolation of stable infectants from a cell line (CHO) in which the viral long terminal repeat does not function efficiently.

Does leukotriene C4 mediate hypoxic vasoconstriction in isolated ferret lungs?

To evaluate leukotriene (LT) C4 as a mediator of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction, we examined the effects of FPL55712, a putative LT antagonist, and indomethacin, a cyclooxygenase inhibitor, on vasopressor responses to LTC4 and hypoxia (inspired O2 tension = 25 Torr) in isolated ferret lungs perfused with a constant flow (50 ml.kg-1.min-1). Pulmonary arterial injections of LTC4 caused dose-related increases in pulmonary arterial pressure during perfusion with physiological salt solution containing Ficoll (4 g/dl). FPL55712 caused concentration-related inhibition of the pressor response to LTC4 (0.6 micrograms). Although 10 micrograms/ml FPL55712 inhibited the LTC4 pressor response by 61%, it did not alter the response to hypoxia. At 100 microgram/ml, FPL55712 inhibited the responses to LTC4 and hypoxia by 73 and 71%, respectively, but also attenuated the vasoconstrictor responses to prostaglandin F2 alpha (78% at 8 micrograms), phenylephrine (68% at 100 micrograms), and KCl (51% at 40 mM). At 0.5 microgram/ml, indomethacin significantly attenuated the pressor response to arachidonic acid but did not alter responses to LTC4 or hypoxia. These results suggest that in isolated ferret lungs 1) the vasoconstrictor response to LTC4 did not depend on release of cyclooxygenase products and 2) LTC4 did not mediate hypoxic vasoconstriction.

Infection with a TGF-alpha retroviral vector transforms normal mouse mammary epithelial cells but not normal rat fibroblasts.

A cDNA clone of human transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-alpha) was introduced into two different retroviral vectors under the transcriptional control of either the viral LTR, vector 1520, or an internal mouse metallothionein-1 promoter, vector 1522. Infection of normal rat kidney fibroblasts (NRK-49F) and mouse mammary epithelial cells (NOG-8), followed by selection, allowed isolation of individual colonies expressing human TGF-alpha. NRK-49F and NOG-8 1520 infectants conditioned their media with equivalent amounts of TGF-alpha protein but responded differently to autocrine stimulation. NOG-8 infectants formed colonies in soft agar and tumors in nude mice. However, while the NRK-49F infectants proliferated in the presence of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta), a response that requires epidermal growth factor (EGF) or TGF-alpha, they exhibited neither anchorage independent growth nor tumorigenicity. NRK-49F cells infected with the 1522 vector produced five-fold more TGF-alpha than the 1520 infectants. Increasing the level of TGF-alpha production by the NRK-49F cells in this way was sufficient to promote agar growth of the cells in the presence of TGF-beta but insufficient to promote tumorigenesis. The EGF receptor level is approximately ten-fold higher on the NOG-8 epithelial cells than on the NRK-49F fibroblast. This fact, in conjunction with the experimental results, suggest that the target cell type and its ability to respond to TGF-alpha is as critical for autocrine stimulation as the amount of growth factor produced by the cells.

Age-dependent effects of indomethacin on hypoxic vasoconstriction in neonatal lamb lungs.

Although smooth muscle is abundant in the pulmonary vessels of young animals at birth, it is not clear if these vessels respond more vigorously to hypoxia than the less muscular vessels of older neonates. To determine the effect of age on the pulmonary vascular response to hypoxia during the neonatal period in a single species, we measured the steady-state stimulus-response relationship between inspired oxygen tension (200, 50, 30 and 0 mm Hg) and pulmonary artery pressure-flow curves in isolated blood perfused lungs from 2- to 4- and 12- to 14-day-old lambs. Hypoxic vasoconstriction was attenuated in the younger newborns at an inspired oxygen tension of 50 mm Hg, but not at the other oxygen tensions. To determine if this age-related difference was due to differences in modulation of hypoxic vasoconstriction by cyclooxygenase products, we assayed the metabolite of prostacyclin, 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha in the perfusate and determined the effects of indomethacin (40 micrograms/ml) on the hypoxic stimulus-response relationship. There was no age-related difference in perfusate concentration of 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha at any oxygen tension. However, indomethacin reversed the age-dependent attenuation of hypoxic vasoconstriction at inspired oxygen tension = 50 mm Hg such that in indomethacin-treated lungs pulmonary vasomotor tone was higher in 2- to 4-day-old lungs than in 12- to 14-day-old lungs. This marked enhancement of hypoxic reactivity by indomethacin in the younger lambs suggests that in isolated neonatal lamb lungs cyclooxygenase products exerted a vasodilatory modulation of hypoxic vasoconstriction that decreased with age.

Effects of cyclo- and lipoxygenase inhibitors on hypoxic vasoconstriction in isolated ferret lungs.

To evaluate the role of leukotrienes in hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction, we measured steady-state pressor responses to graded hypoxia in isolated ferret lungs perfused with autologous blood containing 0.001, 0.03, 1, or 3 mM nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), 1 mM BW 755C, or 0.02-0.05 mM indomethacin. Untreated lungs served as controls. Perfusate concentrations of thromboxane B2 and 6-ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha, measured by radioimmunoassay, were markedly reduced in all treated lungs, indicating inhibition of cyclooxygenase. The maximum pressor response to hypoxia measured at a blood flow of 50 ml.min-1. kg-1 averaged 26.6 +/- 2.4 Torr in untreated lungs and was not affected by BW 755C or 0.001-0.03 mM NDGA. Because BW 755C and NDGA inhibited cyclooxygenase at concentrations that did not affect hypoxic vasoconstriction and because both agents are thought to inhibit lipoxygenase with a potency greater than or equal to that with which they inhibit cyclooxygenase, these results do not support the possibility that hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction was mediated by leukotrienes. At concentrations of 1 and 3 mM, NDGA inhibited the maximum hypoxic pressor response by 57 and 95%, respectively. The mechanism of this attenuation is unknown; however, it was apparently not due to cyclooxygenase inhibition, since indomethacin enhanced the maximum hypoxic pressor response by 45%. Nor was it due to blockade of calcium entry or interference with the contractile process in pulmonary vascular smooth muscle, since 1 mM NDGA did not inhibit vasoconstrictor responses to KCl or prostaglandin F2 alpha.

Effects of arterial ligation and embolization on pulmonary vascular pressure distribution.

The effects of embolization on the longitudinal distribution of pulmonary vascular pressures with respect to vascular compliance were determined by the vascular inflow and outflow occlusion technique in isolated blood-perfused pig lungs treated with papaverine to prevent vasomotor responses. Embolization with microspheres having mean diameters of 75, 200, and 550 microns and with barrier beads (2 X 3 X 3.5 mm) significantly increased the pressure gradient across the relatively compliant middle region (delta Pm) without increasing the gradients across the relatively noncompliant regions on the arterial (delta Pa) or venous (delta Pv) ends of the vasculature. In contrast ligation of several lobar arteries caused delta Pa to increase from 0.9 +/- 0.3 to 5.9 +/- 1.1 mmHg but did not change delta Pm or delta Pv. Assuming that delta Pa and delta Pv measured by vascular occlusion result from cessation of flow through resistances, these data suggest that in isolated pig lungs the vessels at the boundary between the arterial and middle regions defined by the occlusion technique are arteries greater than 2-3 mm diam and smaller than lobar arteries.

Effects of indomethacin on estradiol-induced attenuation of hypoxic vasoconstriction in lamb lungs.

To determine whether cyclooxygenase products mediated the attenuation of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction induced by estradiol, we measured pulmonary arterial pressure at a flow of 50 ml X min-1 X kg-1 (Ppa50) during steady-state exposures to inspired O2 tensions (PIO2) between 0 and 200 Torr in isolated lungs of juvenile ewes. Intramuscular estradiol (10 mg) 44-60 h before study significantly decreased perfusate concentrations of 6-ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha (6-keto-PGF1 alpha), the stable metabolite of the pulmonary vasodilator, prostacyclin, but did not significantly affect the stimulus-response relationship between PIO2 and Ppa50. Estradiol (20 mg) 3-5 days before study increased 6-keto-PGF1 alpha concentrations and decreased Ppa50 at PIO2 of 10, 30, and 50 Torr. Indomethacin added to the perfusate of these lungs reduced 6-keto-PGF1 alpha to undetectable levels and altered the estradiol-induced attenuation, increasing Ppa50 at PIO2 of 10 and 30 Torr, but decreasing Ppa50 at PIO2 of 200 Torr. Despite these effects, Ppa50 remained lower than the values measured in lungs not treated with estradiol. These results suggest that the estradiol-induced attenuation of the hypoxic stimulus-response relationship was mediated only in part by cyclooxygenase products, the net effects of which were vasodilation at PIO2 of 10 and 30 Torr, but vasoconstriction at PIO2 of 200 Torr.

Sequences upstream from the mouse c-mos oncogene may function as a transcription termination signal.

A region upstream from the mouse c-mos proto-oncogene, termed upstream mouse sequence (UMS), prevents expression of mos transforming activity. Previous studies suggested that the UMS prevented transcription readthrough. In this study, we constructed a recombinant DNA clone, pHTS3MS, with the UMS inserted downstream from both the mos gene and a truncated long terminal repeat containing only the U3 enhancer region. In this position UMS did not inhibit mos transforming activity. We examined cells transformed by pHTS3MS for RNA expression. S1 nuclease analysis showed that the UMS provides two polyadenylation signals to mos-containing RNA and nuclear run-on transcription showed that the primary transcripts terminate in UMS. In addition, using portions of the UMS, we found that a 360-bp fragment containing the UMS polyadenylation signals and sites inserted between the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) thymidine kinase gene (tk) and its promoter inhibits tk transforming activity by 99% and prevents detectable expression of this construct in transient expression assays. Thus, the UMS must contain signals for polyadenylation and appears to function as a transcription terminator.

Mouse c-mos oncogene activation is prevented by upstream sequences.

Although the molecularly cloned mouse c-mos oncogene locus can be efficiently activated by insertion of a retroviral long terminal repeat (LTR) 5' to its coding region, only low-frequency transformation occurs with the LTR element inserted 3' to this region. Analysis of several of the latter transformed cell lines suggested that loss of 2 kilobases (kb) of normal mouse DNA sequences preceding c-mos was required for oncogene activation. The determination of the transforming potential of deletion mutants containing only portions of this region followed by analysis of their nucleotide sequences identified a region termed upstream mouse sequence (UMS) as a cis-acting locus that prevents c-mos activation by a 3' LTR. The UMS region is approximately 1 kb in length and is located 0.8-1.8 kb upstream from the first ATG in the open reading frame of c-mos. Insertion of UMS 5' to the v-mos coding region also prevents 3' LTR enhancement of its transforming activity, but this inhibition is position dependent and functions only when inserted between v-mos and its putative promoter. The results presented here suggest that UMS may function to regulate c-mos proto-oncogene expression and may explain the lack of detectable c-mos transcripts in normal mouse cells.

Long terminal repeat enhancement of v-mos transforming activity: identification of essential regions.

The transforming efficiency of recombinant DNA clones containing the Moloney sarcoma virus v-mos sequence was enhanced by introducing the Moloney sarcoma virus long terminal repeat (LTR) in either the 5' or 3' position relative to v-mos. We analyzed the polyadenylated RNA expressed in cells transformed by these recombinant DNA clones and examined the structural integrity of integrated copies of the DNA. In each case, we demonstrated the presence of v-mos containing RNA transcripts in the polyadenylated RNA and showed that these RNA transcripts are consistent with the structure of the transfected DNA. The analysis of DNA from these transformed cells showed that the relative positions of the v-mos and LTR sequences within the transfected DNA were conserved in the integrated DNA copies. These results demonstrate that a single LTR can successfully enhance the transforming activity of v-mos from either a 5' or a 3' relative position. The results from the transfection analysis of recombinant clones containing only portions of the LTR introduced 3' to v-mos demonstrate that the essential region of the LTR responsible for the enhancement of transformation is a region within the unique 3' sequences of the LTR containing the 73-base-pair tandem repeat sequence.

In vitro methylation of specific regions of the cloned Moloney sarcoma virus genome inhibits its transforming activity.

The transforming activity of cloned Moloney sarcoma virus (MSV) proviral DNA was inhibited by in vitro methylation of the DNA at cytosine residues, using HpaII and HhaI methylases before transfection into NIH 3T3 cells. The inhibition of transforming activity due to HpaII methylation was reversed by treatment of the transfected cells with 5-azacytidine, a specific inhibitor of methylation. Analysis of the genomic DNA from the transformed cells which resulted from the transfection of methylated MSV DNA revealed that the integrated MSV proviral DNA was sensitive to HpaII digestion in all cell lines examined, suggesting that loss of methyl groups was necessary for transformation. When cells were infected with Moloney murine leukemia virus at various times after transfection with methylated MSV DNA, the amount of transforming virus produced indicated that the loss of methyl groups occurred within 24 h. Methylation of MSV DNA at HhaI sites was as inhibitory to transforming activity as methylation at HpaII sites. In addition, methylation at both HpaII and HhaI sites did not further reduce the transforming activity of the DNA. These results suggested that; whereas methylation of specific sites on the provirus may not be essential for inhibiting the transforming activity of MSV DNA, methylation of specific regions may be necessary. Thus, by cotransfection of plasmids containing only specific regions of the MSV provirus, it was determined that methylation of the v-mos gene was more inhibitory to transformation than methylation of the viral long terminal repeat.

Proteolytic cleavage of VP1 in 'A' particles of coxsackievirus B3 does not appear to mediate virus uncoating by HeLa cells.

'A' particle of Coxsackievirus B3 were generated from native virus by heating and purified by sucrose gradient centrifugation. These particles were found to be similar to 'A' particles formed by elution from cellular receptors of HeLa cells. Electrophoretic analysis of [35S]methionine-labelled 'A' particles revealed that treatment of the particles with chymotrypsin resulted in the cleavage of VP1 and the formation of a cleavage product which migrated between VP2 and VP3. Analysis of the protease-treated material on sucrose gradients revealed a ribonuclease-sensitive particle which sedimented more slowly than an 'A' particle. This particle apparently degraded to release the viral RNA, thereby providing an in vitro model for protease-mediated uncoating of 'A' particles. The subviral particles of Coxsackievirus B3 were found to be immunoprecipitable with heterotypic Coxsackievirus group B antisera, thereby providing a method for the recovery of products produced in the cell early in infection. Infected cells which had been treated to remove unreacted virus were disrupted, an the lysates were reacted with heterotypic antisera. Analysis of the precipitated material revealed that no cleavage products were formed and no polypeptides were lost. Therefore, it appears that proteolysis is not involved in the uncoating of Coxsackievirus B3 in infected cells.

Persistence of human rhinovirus infectivity under diverse environmental conditions.

The persistence of human rhinovirus type 2 and type 14 infectivity was studied under various laboratory conditions designed to mimic those commonly found in the environment. The effects of temperature, ionic strength, protein content, and evaporation were compared. Both viruses were stable (less than 0.3-log decrease in titer) at 6 and 23 degrees c for 24 h in the liquid state regardless of salt or protein additives; a titer decrease of less than 1.0 log was noted at 37 degrees C. However, evaporation at 37 degrees C reduced virus infectivity by 3.2 to 4.5 logs in buffered water, an effect which could be significantly lessened by the addition of bovine serum albumin in saline (2.0- to 2.9-log decrease in titer). These studies support and extend observations by others that the human rhinoviruses retain sufficient infectivity after drying on hard surfaces to permit their transmission to susceptible persons upon contact.

Stabilization of "A" particles of coxsackievirus B3 by a HeLa cell plasma membrane extract.

Previous studies in our laboratory showed that HeLa cell plasma membranes were recovered from sucrose gradients in two major bands and that the heavier band possessed a putative inhibitor of uncoating of coxsackievirus B3. It has now been found that the mechanism of inhibition is the stabilization of "A" particles against inactivation at 37 degrees C. [3H]uridine-labeled virions converted to A particles by band 4, the heavier band, were four times more stable at 37 degrees C than those produced by band 3. Partially purified A particles from both bands were equally unstable. It was found that the stabilizing factor was extractable by saline from band 4 and remained soluble after centrifugation (109,000 X g for 2 h). Addition to A particles of this soluble factor isolated from either band 4 or band 3 stabilized the A particles. The stabilizing factor could not be replaced by an extract from band 3 or by bovine serum albumin. Thus, the finding that the membrane factor inhibits virus uncoating by stabilizing A particles against spontaneous disruption at 37 degrees C focuses attention on an inherent problem associated with defining receptor-mediated virus uncoating.

Survival of coxsackievirus B3 under diverse environmental conditions.

The survival of coxsackievirus B3 was studied under various conditions of incubation. The comparative study demonstrated that coxsackievirus B3 was stable for 24h (less than 0.4-log decrease in titer) when suspended at neutral pH (6 or 23 degrees C) in the presence of 0.25% bovine serum albumin in saline regardless of whether the preparations were subjected to evaporation. Bovine serum albumin provided increased stability to the virus for each of the conditions tested. At 37 degrees C, evaporation greatly reduced the virus infectivity between 6 and 20 h of incubation. Nevertheless, coxsackievirus B3 was found to be stable for at least 24 h under conditions similar to those of a household environment, and its presence represents a potential biohazard to nonimmune persons. These data provide a rationale for using coxsackievirus B3 as a model for investigating the role of environmental surfaces in the transmission of enteroviral diseases.