Effects of transforming growth factor beta, tumor necrosis factor alpha, interferon gamma and LIF-HILDA on the proliferation of acute myeloid leukemia cells

A group of polypeptide factors that regulate cell growth and differentiation has been tested for their biological activities on the growth and differentiation of leukemic cells isolated from patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemias (AML). The effects of Transforming Growth Factor beta 1 (TGF beta), Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF alpha), Interferon gamma (IFN gamma) and LIF-HILDA were compared on leukemic cells cultured in vitro for seven days. Spontaneously growing leukemic cells were selected in order to study either inhibition or enhancement of proliferation induced by these factors. Only TGF beta 1 was found to induce a clear inhibition of leukemic proliferation in all cases tested. Recombinant TNF alpha and IFN gamma were found to induce either inhibition or enhancement of the proliferation on separate specimens. Under the conditions of culture, it was not possible to document any effect of LIF-HILDA. Cell differentiation and cell maturation were documented studying the modulation of cell surface antigens. TGF beta did not modify antigen expression on the cells surviving after 3 days in culture. Both TNF alpha and IFN gamma were found to enhance the expression of adhesion molecules and to a lesser extent, the expression of some lineage associated antigens. No effect of LIF-HILDA on antigen modulation was documented in the cases tested. These data confirm that TGF beta is by itself a potent inhibitor of the myeloid leukemia cells proliferation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Modulation of adipocyte differentiation by tumor necrosis factor and transforming growth factor beta

Cultured TA1 adipocytes treated with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF) lose intracytoplasmic lipid and, over a period of days, come to resemble their predifferentiated progenitors (preadipocytes). To examine the extent to which this phenotypic reversion represents a return to a less differentiated cell, we examined three major characteristics that distinguish preadipocytes from adipocytes: (a) pattern of gene expression; (b) hormonal requirement for accelerated adipogenesis; and (c) pattern of protein synthesis. We found that within hours of TNF addition to adipocytes, mRNAs for genes whose expression is augmented during adipogenesis decreased to predifferentiated levels; in addition, like preadipocytes, TNF-treated adipocytes required exposure to hormones to accelerate adipogenesis. Further, the pattern of protein synthesis seen on polyacrylamide gels reverted to that seen before differentiation. Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) also caused a rapid decrease in expression of adipose genes when added to fully differentiated cells, an effect that was achieved by treatment with either TGF-beta 1 or TGF-beta 2. These effects were seen in the absence of a demonstrable proliferative response to either TNF or TGF-beta. Thus characteristics that define the "terminally" differentiated state in adipocytes are subject to modulation by environmental influences.     

Growth regulation of ovarian cancer cells by epidermal growth factor and transforming growth factors alpha and beta 1.

Regulation of ovarian cancer growth is poorly understood. In this study, the effects of EGF, TGF alpha and TGF beta 1 on two ovarian cancer cell lines (OVCAR-3 and CAOV-3) were investigated. The results showed that EGF/TGF alpha stimulated cell growth and DNA synthesis in OVCAR-3 cells, but inhibited cell proliferation and DNA synthesis in CAOV-3 cells. TGF beta 1 invariably inhibited cell proliferation and DNA synthesis in both cell lines. These effects on growth factors are dose dependent. The interaction of TGF beta 1 and EGF/TGF alpha was antagonistic in OVCAR-3 cells. In contrast, EGF/TGF alpha and TGF beta 1 had an additive inhibitory effect on CAOV-3 cells. Our results demonstrated that mature and functional EGF receptors are present in both cell lines and that they are capable of ligand binding, internalization, processing and ligand-enhanced autophosphorylation. Both high- and low-affinity binding are present in these cell lines, with CAOV-3 cells having about 2-3-fold higher total receptors than OVCAR-3 cells. These results together with those from our previous studies show that these cells express TGF alpha, TGF beta 1 and EGF receptors and that cell growth may be modulated by these growth factors in an autocrine and paracrine manner. This report presents evidence supporting the important roles of growth factors in ovarian cancer growth and provides a foundation for further study into the mechanism of growth regulation by growth factors in these cell lines.     

Induction of colony stimulating factor in vivo by recombinant interleukin 1 alpha and recombinant tumor necrosis factor alpha 1

In response to a potent inflammatory challenge, such as Gram-negative endotoxin, a number of cytokines are induced that, in turn, mediate many of the pathophysiologic alterations associated with endotoxicity. In this study, we have observed two endotoxin-associated monokines, recombinant interleukin-1 alpha (rIL 1 alpha) and recombinant tumor necrosis factor alpha (rTNF alpha), to induce colony stimulating factor (CSF) in vivo. The CSF activities produced in response to rIL 1 alpha or rTNF alpha gave rise to a mixture of granulocyte-macrophage colonies and were induced in a dose- and time-dependent fashion, peaking within 3 hr of cytokine injection (preceding peak CSF induction by endotoxin by several hours). Combined injection of suboptimal concentrations of rIL 1 alpha and rTNF alpha were additive, and simultaneous injection of optimal concentrations of each failed to increase CSF levels over that observed with either cytokine alone. Unlike endotoxin, neither cytokine induced interferon in vivo. These findings extend our understanding of the cytokine cascade that is operative in an inflammatory response and may account for many of the observed hematopoietic alterations that accompany inflammation.     

Interdependence of the radioprotective effects of human recombinant interleukin 1 alpha, tumor necrosis factor alpha, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, and murine recombinant granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor

Interleukin 1 alpha (IL-1 alpha), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha), granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) are molecularly distinct cytokines acting on separate receptors. The release of these cytokines can be concomitantly induced by the same signal and from the same cellular source, suggesting that they may cooperate. Administered alone, human recombinant (hr)IL-1 alpha and hrTNF alpha protect lethally irradiated mice from death, whereas murine recombinant GM-CSF and hrG-CSF do not confer similar protection. On a dose basis, IL-1 alpha is a more efficient radioprotector than TNF alpha. At optimal doses, IL-1 alpha is a more radioprotective cytokine than TNF alpha in C57BL/6 and B6D2F1 mice and less effective than TNF alpha in C3H/HeN mice, suggesting that the relative effectiveness of TNF alpha and IL-1 alpha depends on the genetic makeup of the host. Administration of the two cytokines in combination results in additive radioprotection in all three strains. This suggests that the two cytokines act through different radioprotective pathways and argues against their apparent redundancy. Suboptimal, nonradioprotective doses of IL-1 alpha also synergize with GM-CSF or G-CSF to confer optimal radioprotection, suggesting that such an interaction may be necessary for radioprotection of hemopoietic progenitor cells.     

Inhibition of transforming growth factor beta signaling in MCF-7 cells results in resistance to tumor necrosis factor alpha: a role for Bcl-2.

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) is a multifunctional cytokine capable of regulating diverse cellular processes. In this study we investigated the effect of autocrine TGF-beta signaling on tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha-induced cell death. We abrogated the TGF-beta autocrine loop by overexpression of a truncated TGF-beta type II receptor in MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells and found that this generated resistance to TNF-alpha-induced cytotoxicity. To elucidate the molecular basis of the influence of TGF-beta on TNF-alpha-induced cytotoxicity, we evaluated the expression levels or activities of proteins involved in TNF-alpha signal transduction or the regulation of apoptosis in general in TGF-beta-responsive and TGF-beta-nonresponsive MCF-7 cells. We observed no significant difference in the expression of TNF-alpha receptors or the TNF receptor-associated death domain protein. In addition, downstream activation of nuclear factor kappaB by TNF-alpha was not altered in cells that had lost TGF-beta responsiveness. Analysis of members of the Bcl-2 family of apoptosis-regulatory proteins revealed that Bcl-X(L) and Bax expression levels were not changed by disruption of TGF-beta signaling. In contrast, the TGF-beta-nonresponsive cells expressed much higher levels of Bcl-2 protein and mRNA than did cells with an intact TGF-beta autocrine loop. Furthermore, restoration of a TGF-beta signal to MCF-7 cells that had spontaneously acquired resistance to TGF-beta caused a reduction in Bcl-2 protein expression. Taken together, our data indicate that loss of autocrine TGF-beta signaling results in enhanced resistance to TNF-alpha-mediated cell death and that this is likely to be mediated by derepression of Bcl-2 expression.     

Potential role of transforming growth factor beta1 in drug resistance of tumor cells

Acquired drug resistance of tumor cells is frequently observed in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. We studied murine leukemia L1210 cells sensitive and resistant to the cytotoxic action of cisplatin and showed that cisplatin-resistant leukemia cells were also refractory to TGF beta1-dependent growth inhibition and apoptosis. Addressing the question about the mechanisms responsible for the cross-resistance to cisplatin and TGF beta1, we found that cisplatin- and TGF beta1-resistant L1210 cells possessed a decreased expression of type I TGF beta1 receptor, while the expression of type II TGF beta1 receptor was not affected. Western blot analysis of Smad proteins 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7, which participate in signal transduction pathway down-stream of the TGF beta1 receptors, revealed an increased expression of Smad 6, inhibiting TGF beta1 action, only in cisplatin- and TGF beta1-resistant L1210 cells. TGF beta1 and especially the cytotoxic mistletoe agglutinin increased Smad 6 expression in TGF beta1-sensitive but not in TGF beta1-resistant L1210 cells. TGF beta1-resistant L1210 cells also differed from TGF beta1-sensitive cells by the lack of expression of the pro-apoptotic p53 protein and higher level of expression of the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein. Thus, the described co-expression of tumor cell refractoriness to an anti-cancer drug and to the inhibitory cytokine TGF beta1 is accompanied by multiple changes in the TGF beta1 signal transduction pathway and in other regulatory systems of the target cells. Besides, we found that various anti-tumor drugs and cytotoxic plant lectins increased the level of TGF beta1 expression in both TGFbeta1-sensitive and -resistant L1210 cells. A hypothesis is proposed that TGFbeta1 can at least partly mediate the effect of cell-stressing agents and, thus, the development of TGF beta1 resistance may be responsible for the appearance of tumor cell refractoriness to the action of some anti-cancer drugs.     

A urine inhibitor of interleukin 1 activity affects both interleukin 1 alpha and 1 beta but not tumor necrosis factor alpha

Urine from monocytic leukemia and other febrile patients contains an inhibitor of interleukin 1 (IL-1), as measured by prostaglandin E2 and collagenase production by human fibroblasts and synovial cells. With the use of recombinant IL-1, the IL-1 inhibitor was partially purified by using ammonium sulfate precipitation, anion-exchange, and gel filtration chromatographies. IL-1 inhibitory activity elutes with an 18,000 to 25,000 apparent molecular size. The same fractions also inhibit IL-1 assayed by the proliferation of murine thymocytes and human fibroblasts. Both forms of human recombinant IL-1, IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta, which show only 26% homology, but nevertheless bind to the same receptor, are affected by this natural inhibitor to the same extent. In contrast, human recombinant tumor necrosis factor, which shares some of the biologic activities of IL-1, is not inhibited by the urinary IL-1 inhibitor. This study shows that the various biologic activities of both forms of human recombinant IL-1 are inhibited by a partially purified natural urine-derived factor.     

Immunohistochemical comparative analysis of transforming growth factor alpha, epidermal growth factor, and epidermal growth factor receptor in normal, hyperplastic and neoplastic human prostates.

Immunoreaction to TGF-alpha was limited to the basal epithelial cells of focal areas in the normal prostates. In benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) the immunostained areas were more widespread and immunolabelling was observed in both basal and columnar (secretory) cells of the epithelium. Some cells in the connective tissue stroma were also stained. In prostatic adenocarcinoma, epithelial immunostaining was even more extensive and intense than in BPH, and some stromal cells were also stained. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) immunostaining was only present in some basal cells in normal prostates. In BPH, this immunoreaction was strong in the basal cells and even stronger in the secretory cells. In prostatic cancer, the intensity of epithelial cell immunoreactivity was intermediate between that of normal prostates and that of BPH specimens. EGF-receptor immunostaining was focal and located in the basal cells in normal prostates. In BPH, labelling was also localized in basal cells but extended to wider areas. Some stromal cells appeared weakly labelled. In the prostatic carcinoma, both basal and columnar cells appeared stained and the number of immunolabelled stromal cells was higher than in BPH. The results presented suggest that, in normal conditions, EGF and TGF-alpha act as autocrine growth factors for the basal cells of the prostatic epithelium. In BPH this action is maintained and, in addition, the columnar cells start to secrete both factors which are bound by the basal cell receptors, giving rise to a paracrine regulation which probably overstimulates basal cell proliferation. In prostatic carcinoma, besides these regulatory mechanisms, the acquisition of EGF-receptors by the secretory cells develops an autocrine regulation which might induce their proliferation.     

Human transforming growth factor beta.alpha 2-macroglobulin complex is a latent form of transforming growth factor beta

125I-Labeled human platelet-derived transforming growth factor beta (125I-TGF-beta) and human alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M) formed a complex as demonstrated by 5% native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The 125I-TGF-beta.alpha 2M complex migrated at a position identical to that of the fast migrating form of alpha 2M. Most of the 125I-TGF-beta.alpha 2M complex could be dissociated by acid or urea treatment. When 125I-TGF-beta was incubated with serum, the high molecular weight form of 125I-TGF-beta could be immunoprecipitated by anti-human alpha 2M anti-sera as demonstrated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. alpha 2M purified from platelet-rich plasma also showed the latent transforming growth factor activity and immunoreactivity of TGF-beta. These results suggest that TGF-beta.alpha 2M complex is a latent form of TGF-beta.     

Transforming growth factors from a human tumor cell: characterization of transforming growth factor beta and identification of high molecular weight transforming growth factor alpha

Intracellular transforming growth factors (TGFs) were extracted from a human rhabdomyosarcoma cell line and purified to apparent homogeneity by using gel filtration, cation-exchange, and high-performance liquid chromatography. Two types of transforming growth factor activities, TGF-alpha and TGF-beta, were detected. The intracellular polypeptides which belonged to the TGF-alpha family required TGF-beta for full activity in inducing nonneoplastic normal rat kidney fibroblasts to grow in soft agar. These peptides also bound to the membrane receptor for epidermal growth factor. As determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels, the apparent molecular weight of these intracellular TGF-alpha's was 18 000. Intracellular TGF-beta required either epidermal growth factor or TGF-alpha for stimulation of soft agar growth. The intracellular TGF-beta was purified to homogeneity as judged by a single peak after reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and a single band on a sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel. The intracellular TGF-beta from the human tumor cell line was similar in all respects tested (migration on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels, stimulation of soft agar growth, binding to the membrane receptor for TGF-beta, and amino acid composition) to intracellular TGF-beta from normal human placenta.     

Transforming growth factor beta enhances respiratory syncytial virus replication and tumor necrosis factor alpha induction in human epithelial cells

Asthma is characterized as a chronic inflammatory disease associated with significant tissue remodeling. Patients with asthma are more susceptible to virus-induced exacerbation, which subsequently can lead to increased rates of hospitalization and mortality. While the most common cause of asthma-related deaths is respiratory viral infections, the underlying factors in the lung environment which render asthmatic subjects more susceptible to viral exacerbation are not yet identified. Since transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) is a critical cytokine for lung tissue remodeling and asthma phenotype, we have focused on the effects of TGF-beta on viral replication and virus-induced inflammation. Treatment of human epithelial cells with TGF-beta increased respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) replication by approximately fourfold. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) mRNA and protein expression were also significantly increased above levels with RSV infection alone. The increase in RSV replication and TNF-alpha expression after TGF-beta treatment was concomitant with an increase in virus-induced p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase activation. Our data reveal a novel effect for TGF-beta on RSV replication and provide a potential mechanism for the exaggerated inflammatory response observed in asthmatic subjects during respiratory viral infections.     

Regulation of transforming growth factor alpha and transforming growth factor beta messenger ribonucleic acid abundance in T-47D, human breast cancer cells

Both transforming growth factor beta (TGF beta) and TGF alpha mRNA are expressed in human breast cancer cell lines. We have investigated the relationship of mRNA abundance for these growth modulators to the proliferation rate of a number of human breast cancer cell lines. Furthermore, we have investigated the relationship of regulation of TGF beta and TGF alpha mRNA to growth inhibition caused by progestins and nonsteroidal antiestrogens in T-47D human breast cancer cells. The abundance of TGF beta and TGF alpha mRNA in human breast cancer cell lines was not related directly to proliferation rate of the cells in culture or estrogen receptor positivity or negativity. The relationship of TGF beta and TGF alpha mRNA to growth inhibition caused by antiestrogens and progestins was investigated in T-47D human breast cancer cells. We observed that in T-47D human breast cancer cells the abundance of TGF beta mRNA is decreased in a time- and dose-dependent fashion by progestins but remains unaltered by nonsteroidal antiestrogens. Treatment of T-47D cells for 24 h with 10 nM medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) reduced the level of TGF beta mRNA to one third that present in untreated cells. The same treatment increased TGF alpha mRNA 3-fold above untreated controls in a time- and dose-dependent fashion and nonsteroidal antiestrogens caused a small decrease. The regulation of both TGF alpha and TGF beta mRNA was not directly related to inhibition of growth by progestins and antiestrogens in T-47D cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Purification and biologic characterization of a specific tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitor

The purpose of the present investigation was to purify a urine-derived tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitor (TNF alpha INH) and to characterize its mechanism of action. For the purification procedure, urine was concentrated and TNF alpha INH purified by ion-exchange chromatographies, gel filtration, TNF alpha affinity column, and reverse-phase chromatography. The TNF alpha INH migrates with an apparent Mr of approximately 33,000 when estimated on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis run under both reducing and nonreducing conditions. Elution of TNF alpha INH activity from the gel yields also a approximately 33,000-Da inhibitory fraction. Besides inhibiting TNF alpha-induced cytotoxicity in L929 cells in the presence of actinomycin D, the TNF alpha INH impeded in a dose-dependent manner prostaglandin E2 production and expression of cell-associated interleukin-1 by human dermal fibroblasts. Therefore, TNF alpha INH is active on both actinomycin D-treated and untreated cells. In contrast to TNF alpha, TNF beta-induced cytotoxicity was only slightly affected by the inhibitor. This specificity was confirmed by the fact that it affected neither interleukin-1 alpha nor interleukin-1 beta biologic activities. The mechanism of action of TNF alpha INH involves blocking of 125I-TNF alpha binding to the promonocytic cell line U937. Moreover, preincubation of 125I-TNF alpha with TNF alpha INH increased binding inhibition, suggesting an interaction between TNF alpha and the inhibitor.     

Mechanism of activation of latent recombinant transforming growth factor beta 1 by plasmin

Medium conditioned by Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells transfected with the simian pre-pro-TGF beta 1 cDNA contains high levels of latent TGF beta 1. The amino-terminal region of the TGF beta 1 precursor is secreted and can be detected in the conditioned medium by immunoblotting using peptide antibodies specific for amino-terminal peptides. Chemical cross-linking of CHO-conditioned medium using bis-(sulfosuccinimidyl)-suberate (BS3) followed by immunoblot analyses indicates that latent recombinant TGF beta 1 contains both the cleaved amino-terminal glycopeptide and mature TGF beta 1 polypeptide in a noncovalent association and that this association confers latency. The data presented here do not support the involvement of a unique TGF beta binding protein(s) in latent recombinant TGF beta 1. Plasmin treatment of CHO-conditioned medium resulted in the appearance of TGF beta competing activity. In addition, immunoblot analysis of plasmin-treated CHO-conditioned medium indicates that the amino-terminal glycopeptide is partially degraded and that mature TGF beta 1 is released. Thus, activation of latent TGF beta 1 may occur by proteolytic nicking within the amino-terminal glycopeptide thereby causing a disruption of tertiary structure and noncovalent bonds, which results in the release of active, mature TGF beta 1. Acid activation of latent TGF beta, in comparison, appears to be due to dissociation of the amino-terminal glycopeptide from the mature polypeptide.