Expression of the RB gene under the control of MuLV-LTR suppresses tumorigenicity of WERI-Rb-27 retinoblastoma cells in immunodefective mice

Retinoblastomas arise by the loss of the retinoblastoma (RB) gene. The isolation of the RB gene and its expression in RB protein defective tumor cells permits direct tests of the ability of the protein to act as a tumor suppressor. We demonstrate that a functional RB gene introduced into WERI-Rb-27 retinoblastoma cells by retrovirally mediated gene transfer can suppress their tumorigenicity in immunodefective mice.     

Mutations of N-terminal regions render the retinoblastoma protein insufficient for functions in development and tumor suppression.

To assess biological roles of the retinoblastoma protein (RB), four independent transgenic mouse lines expressing human RB with different deletions in the N-terminal region (RBdeltaN) were generated and compared with mice expressing identically regulated, full-length RB. Expression of both RB and RBdeltaN caused developmental growth retardation, but the wild-type protein was more potent. In contrast to wild-type RB, the RBdeltaN proteins were unable to rescue Rb-/- mice completely from embryonic lethality. Embryos survived until gestational day 18.5 but displayed defects in the terminal differentiation of erythrocytes, neurons, and skeletal muscle. In Rb+/- mice, expression of the RBdeltaN transgenes failed to prevent pituitary melanotroph tumors but delayed tumor formation or progression. These results strongly suggest that N-terminal regions are crucial for embryonic and postnatal development, tumor suppression, and the functional integrity of the entire RB protein. Furthermore, these transgenic mice provide models that may begin to explain human families with low-penetrance retinoblastoma and mutations in N-terminal regions of RB.     

The study of multi-stage carcinogenesis in retinoblastoma and familial polyposis coli patient-derived skin fibroblast cell culture systems

Carcinogenesis is considered to be a multi-step process comprising 'initiation', 'promotion' and 'conversion' events. Skin fibroblasts from patients with hereditary retinoblastoma (RB) and familial polyposis coli (FPC) were chosen for study since their predisposition to the tumour may be due to an inherited 'initiation' event which is present in every cell. Experiments involving skin fibroblasts from FPC patients showed certain of these cells to grow in semi-solid medium following treatment with the complete carcinogen N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) and the tumour promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) alone. When tested prior to the commencement of the experiments the FPC patient cell populations had shown no strong predisposition to malignant transformation as assessed by increased saturation densities, reduced serum requirements, altered migration patterns in collagen gels, anchorage-independent growth and tumourigenicity in nude mice. Following carcinogen or promoter treatment, apart from exhibiting low-level frequencies of anchorage-independent growth, the cells appeared no more transformed than they were before. Parallel cytogenetic studies showed TPA to increase both tetraploidy and the chromosome-aberration frequency during the course of these transformation studies. However, the FPC cell clones induced by TPA to grow in semi-solid medium were, at best, considered to be only partially transformed when their properties were compared with those of tumour-derived cell lines.     

TGF beta-induced growth inhibition in primary fibroblasts requires the retinoblastoma protein.

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF beta) inhibits cell proliferation by inducing a G1 cell-cycle arrest. Cyclin/CDK complexes have been implicated in this arrest, because TGF beta treatment leads to inhibition of cyclin/CDK activity. We have investigated the role of the retinoblastoma protein (pRb) in TGF beta-induced growth arrest by using RB+/+ and RB-/- primary mouse embryo fibroblasts. In both of these cell types, TGF beta inhibits CDK4-associated kinase activity. However, whereas CDK2-associated kinase activity was completely inhibited by TGF beta in the wild-type cells, it was reduced only slightly in the RB mutant cells. In addition, at high-cell density the growth-inhibitory effects of TGF beta are no longer observed in the RB-/- cells; on the contrary, TGF beta treatment promotes the growth of these mutant fibroblasts. Thus, under certain cellular growth conditions, elimination of pRb transforms the growth-inhibitory effects of TGF beta into growth-stimulatory effects. These observations could help to explain why TGF beta is often found to enhance tumorigenicity in vivo and why inactivation of the RB gene leads to tumorigenesis.     

Phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma gene product is modulated during the cell cycle and cellular differentiation

Introduction of an exogenous retinoblastoma (RB) gene in RB-deficient retinoblastoma or osteosarcoma cells has been shown to suppress their neoplastic phenotype. In experiments designed to explore the potential mechanism of RB tumor suppression, we report here that the phosphorylation state of RB protein is modulated during normal cellular events. In resting cells, RB protein is present in its least phosphorylated form; in rapidly proliferating cells, RB protein is highly phosphorylated. Maximal phosphorylation is associated with S phase of the cell cycle. Induction of differentiation in several human leukemia cell lines by treatment with phorbol ester or retinoic acid leads to dephosphorylation of RB. Time course studies indicate that RB dephosphorylation precedes the total arrest of cell growth during differentiation. These observations strongly suggest that the function of RB protein is modulated by a phosphorylation/dephosphorylation mechanism during cell proliferation and differentiation.     

Complete suppression of tumor formation by high levels of basement membrane collagen

Suppression of tumorigenicity was first shown in hybrids produced by the fusion of a range of different highly malignant tumor cells with diploid fibroblasts. Cytogenetic analysis of these hybrids revealed that suppression involved a genetic region located in one specific chromosome donated to the hybrid cell by the fibroblast parent. The identity of the gene responsible for this dramatic effect has remained obscure. We now present strong evidence that the primary determinant is the gene specifying collagen XV, a proteoglycan closely associated with the basement membrane. We transfected a line of highly tumorigenic human cervical carcinoma cells with an expression vector carrying the full-length cDNA of the human collagen XV gene. We selected clones making various amounts of collagen XV, examined their growth in vitro, and tested their tumorigenicity in nude mice. High levels of collagen XV altered the growth properties of the cells in three-dimensional cultures. Moreover, we found that, in a dose-dependent manner, the production of collagen XV completely suppressed tumorigenicity in clones that synthesized this molecule at high levels. Immunohistologic studies suggest that suppression is associated with extracellular deposition of the proteoglycan at the cell periphery.     

Loss of the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein in murine calvaria facilitates immortalization of osteoblast-adipocyte bipotent progenitor cells characterized by low expression of N-cadherin

The retinoblastoma gene, RB1, is frequently inactivated in a subset of tumors, including retinoblastoma and osteosarcoma (OS). One characteristic of OS, as well as other tumors in which RB1 is frequently inactivated, is the lack of N-cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesions. The frequent inactivation of RB1 and parallel loss of N-cadherin expression in OS prompted us to ask whether these observations are directly related to each other. In this study, we observed reduced N-cadherin expression in RB1(-/-) calvarial osteoblasts. In addition, RB1(-/-) cell lines had increased migration potential compared to their RB1(+/+) counterparts. These properties of RB1(-/-) cell lines correlated with an adipogenic potential lacking in RB1(+/+) cell lines, suggesting that each property is present in an immature progenitor cell. The isolation of a cell population with low surface expression of N-cadherin and enhanced adipogenic ability supports this view. Interestingly, the acute loss of pRb does not affect N-cadherin expression or migration or confer adipogenic potential to immortalized RB1(+/+) calvarial cells, suggesting that these traits are not a direct consequence of pRb loss; rather, pRb loss leads to the expansion and immortalization of an immature progenitor pool characterized by these properties.     

Retinoblastoma protein activation of interleukin 8 expression inhibits tumor cell survival in nude mice.

Loss of retinoblastoma protein (Rb) has been implicated in the formation of a variety of human malignancies. Restoration of Rb expression in the cell lines representing these tumors eliminates or significantly reduces tumorigenicity in nude mice, but the mechanism for this Rb effect is unknown. Results from this study indicated that Rb expression reduced tumor cell survival in nude mice by dramatically enhancing interleukin 8 (IL-8) secretion. IL-8 secreted by the Rb-transformed cells attracted neutrophils in vitro and tumor-infiltrating neutrophils in vivo, which is consistent with the Rb-mediated tumor regression being dependent on IL-8. The apparent, contradictory roles of IL-8 as a protumorigenic and antitumorigenic cytokine are discussed.     

Expression of the human retinoblastoma gene product pp110RB in insect cells using the baculovirus system

The product of the retinoblastoma susceptibility gene (RB) was overproduced in cultured insect cells using the baculovirus expression system. Upon insertion of the cloned human RB complementary DNA sequence into the viral genome downstream of the promoter of the polyhedrin gene, full-length RB protein with an apparent molecular weight of 110,000 was expressed in the insect cells. This protein was found to be phosphorylated, located in the nuclei of the infected cells, and immunologically indistinguishable from pp110RB of human cells as assayed by several anti-RB antibodies. Following cell disruption and a one-step immunoaffinity chromatographic purification, 6-12 mg of soluble pp110RB with approximately 95% purity were obtained per liter of infected suspension culture. Characterization of the two known biochemical properties of RB protein showed that this purified protein from insect cells behaved similarly to the authentic human pp110RB. First, it bound to DNA, and second, it could form a specific complex with SV40 T antigen in vitro. Prompt translocation of the protein from cytoplasm to nucleus after microinjection further indicated that the purified RB protein may be active. The availability of soluble, intact, and presumably active pp110RB in large quantity represents a significant advance for studying the biochemical and biophysical properties of the RB gene product as well as its potential biological function in cancer suppression.     

Nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein via Cdk phosphorylation-dependent nuclear export

The retinoblastoma (RB) tumor suppressor protein is a negative regulator of cell proliferation that is functionally inactivated in the majority of human tumors. Elevated Cdk activity via RB pathway mutations is observed in virtually every human cancer. Thus, Cdk inhibitors have tremendous promise as anticancer agents although detailed mechanistic knowledge of their effects on RB function is needed to harness their full potential. Here, we illustrate a novel function for Cdks in regulating the subcellular localization of RB. We present evidence of significant cytoplasmic mislocalization of ordinarily nuclear RB in cells harboring Cdk4 mutations. Our findings uncover a novel mechanism to circumvent RB-mediated growth suppression by altered nucleocytoplasmic trafficking via the Exportin1 pathway. Cytoplasmically mislocalized RB could be efficiently confined to the nucleus by inhibiting the Exportin1 pathway, reducing Cdk activity, or mutating the Cdk-dependent phosphorylation sites in RB that result in loss of RB-Exportin1 association. Thus RB-mediated tumor suppression can be subverted by phosphorylation-dependent enhancement of nuclear export. These results support the notion that tumor cells can modulate the protein transport machinery thereby making the protein transport process a viable therapeutic target.     

METCAM/MUC18 augments migration, invasion, and tumorigenicity of human breast cancer SK-BR-3 cells

Previous research has identified METCAM/MUC18, an integral membrane cell adhesion molecule (CAM) in the Ig-like gene super-family, as a promoter or a suppressor in the development of human breast cancer by MCF7, MDA-MB-231, and MDA-MB-468. To resolve these conflicting results we have investigated the role of this CAM in the progression of the three aforementioned cell lines plus one additional human breast cancer cell line, SK-BR-3. We transfected the SK-BR-3 cells with human METCAM/MUC18 cDNA to obtain G418-resistant clones, which expressed different levels of the protein and which were used to test the effect of human METCAM/MUC18 expression on in vitro motility, invasiveness, anchorage-independent colony formation in soft agar, disorganized growth in a 3D basement membrane culture assay, and in vivo tumorigenesis in athymic nude mice. Enforced METCAM/MUC18 expression increased in vitro motility, invasiveness, and anchorage-independent colony formation of SK-BR-3 cells and favored disorganized growth of the cells in 3D basement membrane culture. Enforced expression also increased tumorigenicity and final tumor weights of SK-BR-3 clones/cells after subcutaneous injection of the cells under the left third nipple of female athymic nude mice. To understand the mechanisms, we also determined the expression of several downstream key effectors in the tumors. Tumor cells from METCAM/MUC18 expressing clones exhibited elevated expression of an anti-apoptotic and survival index (Bcl2), an aerobic glycolysis index (LDH-A), and pro-angiogenesis indexes (VEGF and VAGFR2). We concluded that human METCAM/MUC18 promotes the development of breast cancer cells by increasing an anti-apoptosis and survival pathway and augmenting aerobic glycolysis and angiogenesis.     

Tumorigenicity of Vero cells

One of the current criteria for evaluating the acceptability of cell lines for use in vaccine production is lack of tumorigenicity. Vero cells represent an example of a class of cells known as continuous cell lines. They were derived from African green monkey kidney, and their growth properties and culture characteristics have many advantages over other cell substrates for use in vaccine production. We have tested Vero cells for tumorigenicity in nude mice and in a human muscle organ culture system, and found a significant increase in their tumorigenic potential with increasing passage numbers. Cells at passage 232 and higher produced nodules in all nude mice inoculated. Histologically the nodules were well defined, anaplastic tumors, which exhibited some of the characteristics of renal adenocarcinomas. In about 6 to 8 days all of the nodules began to regress. Data were obtained that suggested an immune mechanism was the basis for the regression phenomenon.     

Subcellular localization of the retinoblastoma protein

The subcellular localization of the retinoblastoma (RB) protein has been studied in primate cell lines by immunofluorescence staining using different monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies. The protein appeared as granules of heterogeneous size over the interphase nuclei. Computer assisted digital overlap analysis indicated that it was predominantly localized in euchromatic areas with low DNA density. The largest RB positive grains lined up on the heterochromatin/euchromatin boundary. During mitosis, the RB protein dissociated from the condensing chromosomes. It was dispersed throughout the cytoplasm during metaphase and anaphase, and it reassociated with the decondensing chromatin during telophase. A new monoclonal antibody, designated aRB1C1, was raised against a bacterial TrpE/human retinoblastoma protein. It specifically recognized the nonphosphorylated and differentially phosphorylated forms of the RB protein in immunoprecipitation experiments. A collection of RB expressing cell lines gave a positive staining reaction with the antibody, whereas the RB negative Weri-RB-27 retinoblastoma and OHS osteosarcoma cells failed to react. Wild-type RB complementary DNA was introduced into Weri-RB-27 by retrovirus mediated gene transfer. Similar experiments were performed with the DU145 prostatic carcinoma cell line that expresses a mutant RB protein. Reconstituted cells of both lines expressed the normal size RB protein and gave a positive immunofluorescence reaction with the aRB1C1 and other anti-RB antibodies. The new monoclonal antibody, however, showed cell type dependent differences of the staining pattern compared to other anti-RB antibodies, suggesting differentiation dependent accessibility to its epitope.     

Enhance anchorage independence and tumorigenicity of aneuploid Chinese hamster cells with nearly doubled chromosome complements.

The role of a cell's chromosome complement in its tumorigenic and anchorage-independent growth properties in vitro was investigated by injecting a Chinese hamster cell line and its subclones into immunodeficient nude mice and by plating the cells in a semisolid medium containing methylcellulose. The parental WOR-6 cell clone originally consisted of 89% 1s cells and 11% cells with a nearly double (2s) complement. Tumors that developed from WOR-6 were found to consis entirely or primarily of cells with near 2s chromosome complements. Subclones of WOR-6 that contained only 1s cells rarely produced tumors in nude mice, even at high inoculum doses, whereas clones containing a high fraction of 2s cells were consistently tumorigenition, serial passage of WOR-6 cells in semisolid medium resulted in selective enrichment for near 2s cells and, concomitantly, greatly enhanced tumorigenicity. Analyses of G-banded chromosomes revealed that the 1s cells of the WOR-6 parental clone, which has a modal chromosome number of 21 and a range of 18 to 23, is completely or partially monosomic for some chromosomes and trisomic for others. The 2s cells, selected both in vivo through growth as tumors in nude mice and in vitro in semisolid medium, appeared to have resulted from preferential duplication of certain chromosomes of the 1s cells. Our results therefore suggest that cells which develop multiple copies of selected genes, while remaining functionally hemizygous for other loci, acquire an enhanced anchorage-independent growth potential in vitro and increased tumorigenicity. This conclusion is consistent with the observation that cellular tumorigenicity is correlated with anchorage independence (Rreedman and Shin, 1974) and leads support to OHNO'S (1974) suggesting that aneuploidy is a possible means employed by cells to express recessive phenotypes and increase their tumorigenicity.     

Cells differentiating into neuroectoderm undergo apoptosis in the absence of functional retinoblastoma family proteins

The retinoblastoma (RB) protein is present at low levels in early mouse embryos and in pluripotent P19 embryonal carcinoma cells; however, the levels of RB rise dramatically in neuroectoderm formed both in embryos and in differentiating cultures of P19 cells. To investigate the effect of inactivating RB and related proteins p107 and p130, we transfected P19 cells with genes encoding mutated versions of the adenovirus E1A protein that bind RB and related proteins. When these E1A-expressing P19 cells were induced to differentiate into neuroectoderm, there was a striking rise in the expression of c-fos and extensive cell death. The ultrastructural and biochemical characteristics of the dying cells were indicative of apoptosis. The dying cells were those committed to the neural lineages because neurons and astrocytes were lost from differentiating cultures. Cell death was dependent on the ability of the E1A protein to bind RB and related proteins. Our results suggest that proteins of the RB family are essential for the development of the neural lineages and that the absence of functional RB activity triggers apoptosis of differentiating neuroectodermal cells.