Transformation nonresponsive cells owe their resistance to lack of p65/nuclear factor-kappaB activation.

Clonal variants of mouse epidermal JB6 cells that are genetically susceptible (P+) or resistant (P-) to tumor promoter-induced neoplastic transformation exhibit differential activator protein-1 (AP-1) response. Transactivation of AP-1 appears to be necessary but not sufficient to promote transformation in JB6 cells. Inhibition of AP-1 is invariably accompanied by inhibition of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) when transformation is suppressed, suggesting that NF-kappaB may also play a role in neoplastic transformation. We report here that transactivation of NF-kappaB is inducible by tumor promoters in P+ but not in P- JB6 cells. Inhibition of NF-kappaB using a nondegradable mutant of IkappaBalpha suppressed inducible anchorage-independent transformation of P+ JB6 cells, suggesting that NF-kappaB activation is required for tumor promotion. Induced degradation of IkappaBalpha occurred in both P+ and P- JB6 cells, indicating that failure to activate NF-kappaB in P- JB6 cells cannot be attributed to failure to degrade IkappaBalpha. Slightly higher levels of nuclear p65 were seen in P+ than in P- JB6 cells. The p65-specific DNA binding activity was also higher in P+ cells upon induction by tumor necrosis factor-alpha, suggesting that differential NF-kappaB activation may be attributable to changes in p65 activity. Transactivation of p65 protein was substantially higher in P+ than in P- JB6 cells, as determined by assay of Gal4-p65 fusion constructs. Thus activated, p65 may be a limiting factor for NF-kappaB activation and transformation responses. Stable expression of p65 in P- JB6 cells conferred not only inducible NF-kappaB and AP-1 activation but also transformation response to tumor promoters. Therefore, p65/NF-kappaB appears to be not only necessary for but also sufficient to confer tumor promotion response. Although stable expression of p65 in P- cells produced p65 increases in whole cell extracts, only the transfectants exhibiting increased nuclear p65 showed transformation response. Thus, elevation of nuclear p65 appears to be a necessary step for a transformation response. The P-/p65 transfectants showing acquired transformation response also showed elevated p65-specific transactivation response, thus recapitulating the NF-kappaB phenotypes seen in P+ cells. Expression of a transactivation-deficient mutant of Jun or dominant-negative extracellular signal-regulated kinase suppressed both AP-1 activation and p65-specific transactivation in JB6 cells, suggesting that AP-1 activity is needed for p65 transactivation and consequently for NF-kappaB activation. Thus, the transformation nonresponsive P- JB6 cells owe their resistance to lack of NF-kappaB activation and p65 transactivation that appears in turn to be attributable to insufficient AP-1 activation.

Specific methylation events contribute to the transcriptional repression of the mouse tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-3 gene in neoplastic cells.

The tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-3 (TIMP-3) gene is specifically down-regulated in neoplastic cells of the mouse JB6 progression model, suggesting a role for TIMP-3 inactivation in neoplastic progression. On the basis of 5-azacytidine reversal, the mechanism for this down-regulation appears to involve changes in the methylation state of the TIMP-3 promoter. Although total genomic methylation levels are comparable, specific differences in the methylation of the TIMP-3 promoter were observed between preneoplastic and neoplastic JB6 cells at three Hpall sites, with preneoplastic cells being less methylated. Expression of antisense methyltransferase in a neoplastic JB6 variant known to be hypermethylated in TIMP-3 resulted in reactivation of the endogenous TIMP-3 gene and restoration of hypomethylated status to the three implicated Hpall sites. Thus, hypermethylation at specific sequences in the TIMP-3 promoter appears to contribute to the silencing of the gene in neoplastic cells.

Deletion mapping of tumor promotion-susceptibility gene pro1 implicates an RNA polymerase III transcription unit.

The murine gene pro1 has been cloned from JB6 epidermal cell lines that are sensitive to neoplastic transformation by tumor promoters. Insensitive JB6 variants acquire susceptibility to neoplastic transformation by tumor promoters when transfected with pro1. The repetitive nature of pro1 was indicated by sequence and Southern analysis. In contrast, northern analysis of RNA from promotion-sensitive cells revealed the presence of a small pro1-hybridizing transcript. Strand-specific RNA probes implicated an RNA polymerase III (RNAPIII) coding domain in pro1 as the source of this hybridization signal. Ribonuclease protection of gel-purified pro1 RNA from JB6 variant cell lines identified a 130-nucleotide transcript. The size of this transcript is compatible with in vitro RNAPIII transcription of pro1. Deletion mapping of pro1 by exonuclease III demonstrated that the biologically active domain included the RNAPIII transcription unit. RNA probes map pro1 RNA within the activity domain. These results delineate an activity domain of 597 nucleotides and suggest that a small RNA is the product of promotion-sensitivity gene pro1.

Cloning and characterization of putative genes that specify sensitivity to neoplastic transformation by tumor promoters.

Two putative genes (termed pro 1 and pro 2) specifying sensitivity to induction of neoplastic transformation by TPA in mouse epidermal JB6 cells were cloned by sib selection from a size-selected genomic library of clonal cells sensitive to promotion of transformation. By restriction analysis, heteroduplex analysis, direct hybridization, and sequencing, the putative genes are different from and have no homology to known oncogenes. Both genes are independently and equally active as total DNA in the transfection assay. The transformation-promoting potential of these putative genes does not appear to result from gene amplification or detectable rearrangements, suggesting that small structural changes might confer the promoting activity. The mouse pro sequences are also found in monkey and human DNAs. The pro-1 sequence is homologous to middle repetitive elements in the mouse genome, namely the BAM 5 and B1 repeats. The sequence of pro-1 was determined and suggests that it contains the signals to be transcribed by RNA polymerase II and to encode a protein of 7.1 kDa.

A transforming activity not detected by DNA transfer to NIH 3T3 cells is detected by JB6 mouse epidermal cells.

Transfection of four different mouse epidermal tumor cell DNAs into NIH 3T3 cells yielded neither morphologically altered foci nor anchorage independence. However, promotion-sensitive, but not promotion-insensitive, JB6 mouse epidermal cell lines were permissive for the expression of anchorage independence after transfection of DNA from three of these tumor cell lines. This transforming activity and the promotion-sensitive activity that confers sensitivity to promotion of transformation show differences in restriction enzyme sensitivity. In view of this difference and the differences in both recipient cells and 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate dependence of expression, it appears that the transforming activity and the promotion-sensitive activity are specified by different genes. The JB6 promotion-sensitive cell lines may be useful for detecting and cloning transforming genes that escape detection in the NIH 3T3 cell focus assay.

Role of specific membrane and genetic changes in the mechanism of tumour promotion. Studies with promoter-resistant variants.

Several cell culture model systems in current use for studying tumour promotion mechanism are reviewed briefly. The conclusions that can be drawn from studies with the JB6 mouse epidermal system are summarized. Promoter-induced mitogenic stimulation, epidermal growth factor receptor binding and stimulated hexose transport are apparently not required for promotion of neoplastic transformation in JB6 cells by phorbol esters and other promoters. Phorbol ester receptor binding (or protein kinase C activation) and switched-off collagen synthesis may be required, but definitive proof is not available. Decreased cell surface trisialoganglioside synthesis and one or more genes that determine promotion sensitivity appear to distinguish sensitive from resistant cells and to be required for promotion of neoplastic transformation in JB6 cells.

Phorbol diester and epidermal growth factor receptors in 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-resistant and -sensitive mouse epidermal cells.

Several cell variants have been isolated from promotable mouse JB6 epidermal cells which are resistant either to mitogenic stimulation at quiescence or to promotion of anchorage independence by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). Such resistant variants would be expected to lack one or more steps in the TPA response pathway leading to mitogenesis or promotion of tumor cell phenotype. This report is concerned with determining whether resistance is attributable to lack of receptors for phorbol diesters or epidermal growth factor (EGF, a potential mediator) or to absence of receptor down modulation following ligand binding. The results show that neither lack of phorbol diester receptors nor absence of down modulation can be demonstrated in the TPA-resistant variants. The phorbol ester binding affinity is also not altered in the resistant variants. The presence of EGF receptors cannot be an absolute requirement for TPA promotion sensitivity since three of the TPA-promotable cell lines lack available EGF receptors. Lack of EGF receptors may account for TPA mitogen resistance in at least three of four resistant variants. The TPA-induced EGF binding decrease occurs in both sensitive and resistant variants. Thus, phorbol diester binding and receptor down modulation remain as possible required events in mitogenic and promotion responses to TPA. EGF receptors are clearly not necessary for TPA promotion of anchorage independence in JB6 cells but may mediate mitogenic stimulation of these cells by TPA.