Suppression of the metastatic phenotype of a mouse skin carcinoma cell line independent of E-cadherin expression and correlated with reduced Ha-ras oncogene products

Silencing of the metastasis suppressor RECK by RAS oncogene is mediated by DNA methyltransferase 3b-induced promoter methylation

RECK is a membrane-anchored glycoprotein that may negatively regulate matrix metalloproteinase activity to suppress tumor invasion and metastasis. Our previous study indicated that oncogenic RAS inhibited RECK expression via a histone deacetylation mechanism. In this study, we address whether DNA methyltransferases (DNMT) participate in the inhibition of RECK by RAS. Induction of Ha-RAS(Val12) oncogene increased DNMT3b, but not DNMT1 and DNMT3a, expression in 2-12 cells. In addition, induction of DNMT3b by RAS was through the extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling pathway. Oncogenic RAS increased the binding of DNMT3b to the promoter of RECK gene and this binding induced promoter methylation, which could be reversed by 5'-azacytidine and DNMT3b small interfering RNA (siRNA). The MEK inhibitor U0126 also reversed RAS-induced DNMT3b binding and RECK promoter methylation. Treatment of 5'-azacytidine and DNMT3b siRNA restored RECK expression in 2-12 cells and potently suppressed RAS-stimulated cell invasion. In addition, the inhibitory effect of 5'-azacytidine on RAS-induced cell invasion was attenuated after knockdown of RECK by siRNA. Interestingly, human lung cancer cells harboring constitutively activated RAS exhibited lower RECK expression and higher promoter methylation of RECK gene. 5'-Azacytidine and DNMT3b siRNA restored RECK expression in these cells and effectively suppressed invasiveness. Collectively, our results suggest that RAS oncogene induces RECK gene silencing through DNMT3b-mediated promoter methylation, and DNMT inhibitors may be useful for the treatment of RAS-induced metastasis.

Analysis of cadherin/catenin complexes in transformed thyroid epithelial cells: modulation by beta 1 integrin subunit

We have analysed the expression of cadherin/catenin complex molecules in PC C13 rat thyroid cells transformed in vitro with different oncogenes. No significant downregulation of either E-cadherin, alpha-, beta- and gamma-catenin was detected following the introduction of activated forms of myc, adenovirus E1A, ras, raf, myc + ras, E1A + raf. However, ras- and raf-transformed PC C13 cells showed altered adherens junctions. An altered distribution of cadherin/catenin complexes characterized by radially oriented membrane spikes perpendicular to cell edges was the most prominent feature evidenced by immunofluorescence. No beta1 integrin localization was observed in areas where this altered pattern of E-cadherin expression was detected. However, beta1 integrin subunit expression was detected at areas of cell-cell contact where E-cadherin showed a normal pattern of expression. Furthermore, ras- and raf-transformed PC C13 cells showed the ability to migrate in collagen gels, in contrast to their normal untransformed counterpart. Overexpression of beta1 integrin was found to restore normal E-cadherin localization at cell-cell contacts and to partially inhibit the ability to migrate in collagen gels. Finally, two cell lines obtained by ras transformation in vivo, and derived from a rat primary thyroid carcinoma (TK6) and its lung metastasis (MPTK6), were found to have lost gamma-catenin expression. TK6 lost also E-cadherin expression and membrane localization of alpha-catenin. These results suggest that: i) in vitro thyroid cell transformation is associated to a change in cadherin/catenin complexes distribution rather than to a decrease in expression; ii) in vivo transformation is associated to the loss of expression of some of these molecules likely due to tumor progression; iii) alterations in beta1 integrin subunit expression can result in changes in cadherin/catenin function thus implying that an integrin-cadherin synergy may exist in thyroid cells.

Transforming growth factor beta 1 induces squamous carcinoma cell variants with increased metastatic abilities and a disorganized cytoskeleton

Previous studies indicated that mouse transformed keratinocytes undergo an epithelial-fibroblastic conversion when cultured in the presence of TGF-beta1. This conversion is associated in vivo with a squamous-spindle carcinoma transition. We derived epithelioid (A6, FPA6) and spindle (B5) clonal cell variants from a squamous carcinoma cell line (PDV) after treatment with TGF-beta1. FPA6 cells were isolated from the ascites fluid of an A6-tumor-bearing mouse. FPA6 and A6 cell lines produced in nude mice mixed carcinomas with a squamous and poorly differentiated component. Both cell lines coexpressed keratins and vimentin and synthesized E-cadherin protein, although FPA6 cells cultured at early passages (FPA6-ep) had reduced levels of E-cadherin mRNA and increased synthesis of keratin K8, a marker of malignant progression. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed that FPA6-ep cells exhibited a disorganized cytoskeleton with keratins forming focal juxtanuclear aggregates and loss of F-actin stress fibers and cortical bundles, and E-cadherin was localized in the cytoplasm out of cell-cell contact areas. Sporadic cells in A6 and PDV cultures also presented those anomalous keratin structures, suggesting that FPA6 cells originated from a subpopulation of A6 tumor cells that metastasized into the peritoneal cavity. The analysis of the spontaneous and experimental metastatic potentials of the cell lines showed that epithelioid and fibroblastic cell variants had acquired metastatic abilities compared to PDV which was nonmetastatic. The FPA6-ep cell line exhibited a highly aggressive behavior, killing the animals at about 17 days after intravenous injection of the cells into athymic mice. The phenotype of FPA6-ep cells was unstable and reverted at later passages in which the normal organization of keratin and F-actin in filaments and the localization of E-cadherin at cell-cell contacts were restored. This phenotypic reversion occurred concomitantly with a reduction of the experimental metastatic potential of FPA6 cells.

Metastatic ability of MXT mouse mammary subpopulations correlates with clonal expression and/or membrane-association of gelatinase A

We have developed a novel murine mammary tumor system with variants representing different stages of tumor progression. The MXT-s parental cell line was established from a urethane-induced and hormone-sensitive mammary tumor. MXT-s parental cells are highly tumorigenic but poorly metastatic. MXT clones and variants were selected by either in vitro or in vivo procedures, and they differ in metastatic ability and 17 beta-estradiol dependency for tumor growth. The MXT-c1.1 and MXT-B2 cell lines produced lung metastasis after intravenous injection into 100% of syngenic mice, but only MXT-c1.1 cells were highly metastatic from intramammary tumors. The fingerprints obtained by arbitrarily primed-polymerase chain reaction demonstrated that the metastatic variants and clones had a common genetic background and resulted from clonal selection from the parental cell line. We studied whether the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) profile is correlated with tumor progression and metastatic ability in the MXT tumor system. Gelatinases A and B were assayed in the cells, both by enzyme activity and mRNA expression. Gelatinase A was expressed in MXT-c1.1 cells, whereas MXT-B2 cells did not express either MMP. In contrast, the mammary fat pad tumors expressed both gelatinases. Membrane Type 1-MMP transcripts were also detected in MXT cells and tumors. Because the mRNA levels of gelatinase. A were low in MXT-B2 tumors, we suggested that exogenous gelatinase A bound the cell membranes of MXT-B2 cells in vivo. Indirect evidence was obtained in vitro by treatment of MXT-B2 cells with NIH/3T3 fibroblast-conditioned medium. After this treatment, we detected a gelatinolytic activity at M(r) 68,000 in the cell-membrane extract of MXT-B2 cells and an increase in migratory ability through type IV collagen matrices. On the other hand, Ha-ras gene dosage correlated positively with metastatic ability but not with either gelatinase A or gelatinase B expression. No significant differences were observed in the expression of stromelysin-1 and tissue inhibitors of MMP. Thus, in the MXT tumor system, the expression of gelatinase A or its cell association and Ha-ras gene dosage independently contribute to the metastatic phenotype.

Prognostic significance of ras/p21 alterations in human ovarian cancer

Ras/p21 oncoprotein expression and K-ras mutations were analysed by Western blot and/or K-ras oligonucleotide hybridization in 78 primary ovarian cancers, 20 omental metastases, two low malignant potential tumours (LMP), nine benign ovarian tumours and 10 normal ovaries. A cut-off value of an integral of absorbance (i.a.) of 2.20, obtained by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, was shown to be the best cut-off for defining p21 positivity. p21 levels were higher in malignant tumours than in benign tumours (median 2.10 i.a. vs median 1.22 i.a.; P = 0.014) and in omental metastases than in primary ovarian carcinomas (median 2.54 i.a. vs median 2.1 i.a.; P = 0.0089). p21 overexpression did not correlate with any of the clinicopathological parameters examined. Follow-up data were available for 63 patients. A significant relationship was shown between p21 positivity and a shorter overall survival (OS) (P < 0.03) and progression-free survival (PFS) (P < 0.03). In multivariate analysis only the presence of ascites, p21 levels and epidermal growth factor receptor status retained an independent prognostic role. K-ras gene mutations were frequently detected in benign and low malignant potential tumours (71.4%), which were mostly mucinous (P = 0.0152).