Transformation of NIH 3T3 cells by enhanced PAR expression

Prostate androgen regulated (PAR) is a 1038bp novel gene located on chromosome 1 in epidermal differentiation complex. The gene is ubiquitously expressed in normal tissues and is overexpressed in most of their malignant counterparts. PAR cellular function is unknown. Here we report the effect of increased PAR expression induced by transfection of PAR cDNA on NIH3T3 cell phenotype. PAR-NIH3T3 transfectants expressing 3- to 4-fold higher PAR levels compared to controls grew faster in tissue cultures, formed colonies in soft agar, and exhibited a shortening of G1 and S phases of cell cycle and formed tumors in SCID mice. Transfection of NIH3T3 cells with increased ectopic PAR expression with a 22 mer oligonucleotide in antisense orientation with PAR mRNA abrogated their ability to form colonies in soft agar. The data presented here along with our previously reported results on DU145 cells transfected with antisense PAR cDNA suggest that PAR gene behaves like a proto-oncogene.     

P2Y purinoceptors in normal NIH 3T3 and in NIH 3T3 overexpressing c-ras

The ability of purinergic agonists to induce Ca2+ responses has been tested in two lines of murine fibroblasts: normal NIH 3T3 fibroblasts and NIH 115.14, a clone expressing high levels [1] of the c-ras protooncogene. Both kinds of cells are responsive to ATP in the range 1 microM-1 mM; ADP and ATP gamma S are almost as potent as ATP, while AMP is unable to elicit a response. Ca2+ measurements performed in single cells by image analysis show great variability among cells but in each individual responding cell the Ca2+ rise occurs in an all-or-none fashion. The transient Ca2+ response does not depend on influx from the extracellular medium. Electrophysiological experiments reveal the activation of an outward current (at -50 mV) by ATP, probably due to Ca(2+)-activated K+ channels, confirming the absence of a substantial Ca2+ influx. Finally, stimulation by ATP produces a small but significant increase in the production of inositol phosphates. These results indicate that these cell lines possess purinergic receptors which are not integral membrane channels and which are coupled to InsP3 formation and may be therefore classified as P2Y.     

在NIH3T3细胞中高表达EDAG—1基因导致细胞恶性转化

探讨一种新近克隆的特异表达在造血系统组织和细胞中的胚胎发育相关新基因 (EDAG 1)的生物学功能。构建EDAG 1真核表达载体pcDNA3.1( ) EDAG 1,以脂质体法将其稳定转染入NIH3T3细胞中 ,结果发现高表达EDAG 1的NIH3T3细胞失去了正常的平行走向及接触抑制现象 ,侵袭力较正常增强约 10倍并获得锚定不依赖生长能力。将该细胞株皮下接种裸鼠 ,受鼠在 4周左右 10 0 % (6 / 6 )成瘤。这些结果表明EDAG 1是一种具有转化活性的新基因 ,可能与肿瘤发生、发展密切相关     

Transformation of NIH 3T3 cells by cotransfection with c-src and nuclear oncogenes.

pp60c-src, the cellular homolog of the Rous sarcoma virus transforming protein, does not completely transform cells even when present at high levels, but has been shown to be involved in polyomavirus-induced transformation when activated by polyomavirus middle T (pmt)-antigen binding. Here we show that cotransfection, but not solo transfection, of expression plasmids for c-src and either adenovirus E1A, v-myc, c-myc, or the 5' half of polyomavirus large T (pltN) antigen into NIH 3T3 cells induces anchorage-independent growth, enhanced focus formation, and, for pltN cotransfection, tumorigenicity in adult NFS mice. Enhancement of transformation was not observed with polyomavirus small t (pst) antigen. Cotransfection of c-src with pltN induced modification of pp60c-src that altered its electrophoretic mobility and in vivo phosphorylation state and stimulated its in vitro kinase activity. Similar alterations were not seen after c-src-E1A cotransfection, suggesting that at least two different mechanisms of enhancement are involved.     

Transformation of NIH 3T3 fibroblasts by an activated form of p59hck.

Phosphorylation of a tyrosine residue near the carboxy terminus of src-family protein tyrosine kinases is believed to regulate the biological activity of these gene products. Conversion of this tyrosine in p59hck (Tyr-501) to a phenylalanine residue by using oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis yielded a product (p59hckF501) with very potent transforming activity. Quantitative analysis by a soft-agar cloning assay revealed that p59hckF501 was more than 100-fold more effective than a closely related transforming element, p56lckF505, in colony formation. Cells bearing p59hckF501 had increased levels of protein phosphotyrosine. The ability of p59hckF501 to transform NIH 3T3 cells was abolished by a second mutation believed to destroy the ATP-binding domain.     

Chlamydia Induces Anchorage Independence in 3T3 Cells and Detrimental Cytological Defects in an Infection Model

Chlamydia are Gram negative, obligate intracellular bacterial organisms with different species causing a multitude of infections in both humans and animals. Chlamydia trachomatis is the causative agent of the sexually transmitted infection (STI) Chlamydia, the most commonly acquired bacterial STI in the United States. Chlamydial infections have also been epidemiologically linked to cervical cancer in women co-infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV). We have previously shown chlamydial infection results in centrosome amplification and multipolar spindle formation leading to chromosomal instability. Many studies indicate that centrosome abnormalities, spindle defects, and chromosome segregation errors can lead to cell transformation. We hypothesize that the presence of these defects within infected dividing cells identifies a possible mechanism for Chlamydia as a cofactor in cervical cancer formation. Here we demonstrate that infection with Chlamydia trachomatis is able to transform 3T3 cells in soft agar resulting in anchorage independence and increased colony formation. Additionally, we show for the first time Chlamydia infects actively replicating cells in vivo. Infection of mice with Chlamydia results in significantly increased cell proliferation within the cervix, and in evidence of cervical dysplasia. Confocal examination of these infected tissues also revealed elements of chlamydial induced chromosome instability. These results contribute to a growing body of data implicating a role for Chlamydia in cervical cancer development and suggest a possible molecular mechanism for this effect.     

血小板生成素基因在NIH/3T3细胞中的表达与调控

应用 Tet- On基因表达系统 ,调控血小板生成素 (TPO)基因在 NIH/3T3细胞中的表达时间与水平 .籍脂质体介导的基因转移方法 ,p Tet- On质粒转染 NIH/3T3细胞株 ,得到稳定细胞株NIH/3T3- Tet- On.p TRE/TPO与 p TK- Hyg质粒共转染 NIH/3T3- Tet- On细胞株 ,得到双稳定细胞株 NIH/3T3- Tet- On- TPO.在培养基中加入或不加强力霉素 ,RT- PCR、Western印迹及 ELISA法检测培养上清 TPO表达 .结果表明 ,当培养基中不加强力霉素时 ,TPO无明显表达 (0 .1 μg/L) ;当培养基中加入 2 mg/L强力霉素时 ,TPO表达明显增高 (1 0 .8μg/L) .TPO表达水平与强力霉素浓度有关 ,随强力霉素浓度增高 ,TPO表达增加 .TPO表达水平还与强力霉素作用时间有关 ,加入强力霉素 6 h后 ,TPO表达明显增加 (1 .2μg/L) ,随培养时间延长 ,TPO表达增加 ,2 4 h达到峰值(1 0 .8μg/L) ,而且这种诱导作用是可逆的 .为进一步进行 TPO基因表达调控的体内研究奠定基础 ,有望为 TPO基因治疗提供一条可控的安全途径     

Cell cycle-related differences in susceptibility of NIH/3T3 cells to ribonucleases

Microinjection of Onconase or RNase A into NIH/3T3 cells was used to study the intracellular actions of these two proteins. Onconase preferentially killed actively growing cells in both microinjection and cell culture experiments. Moreover, agents that increased the number of cells in S phase such as serum or microinjected signal transduction mediators (Ras, protein kinase C, and mitogen-activated protein kinase) enhanced Onconase cytotoxicity. Conversely, agents that decreased these proliferative pathways (dibutyryl cAMP and protein kinase A) correspondingly diminished Onconase cytotoxicity in microinjection experiments. These results were also mimicked in cell culture experiments since log-phase v-ras-transformed NIH/3T3 cells were more sensitive to Onconase (IC50 of 7 microg/ml) than parental NIH/3T3 fibroblasts (IC50 of 40 microg/ml). Based on those data we postulated that Onconase-mediated cell death in NIH/3T3 cells was related to events occurring at two or more points in the cell cycle preferentially associated with late G1/S and S phases. In contrast, quiescent NIH/3T3 cells were more sensitive to microinjected RNase A than log phase cells and positive mediators of proliferative signal transduction did not enhance RNase A-mediated cytotoxicity. Taken together, these results demonstrate that these two RNases use different pathways and/or mechanisms to elicit cytotoxic responses in NIH/3T3 cells. Predictions formulated from these studies can be tested for relevance to RNase actions in different target tumor cells.     

Image analysis of Feulgen-stained c-H-ras-transformed NIH/3T3 cells

Feulgen-DNA content, nuclear phenotypes, and levels of chromatin condensation were evaluated by image analysis in NIH/3T3 cells transformed with the c-H-ras oncogene of T24 cells. Three nuclear phenotypes, differing from those of untransformed control cells and defined in terms of patterns of chromatin condensation, were demonstrated microspectrophotometrically for the tumor cells. Polyploidy could only be observed in nuclei with extensive and deeply stained areas covered with condensed chromatin, i.e., only in a small fraction of the tumor cell nuclear population. The increased chromatin condensation that appeared with cell transformation affected the euchromatin zones. The image analysis provided data that, compared with those obtained in other situations involving cell transformation, could be relevant to the understanding of changes in chromatin supraorganization related to tumorigenesis and to tumor cell diagnosis.     

Transformation by T-antigen and other oncogenes delays Hsp25 accumulation in heat shocked NIH 3T3 fibroblasts

We have recently reported that transformation of murine NIH 3T3 cells by v-fos oncogene interfered with Hsp70 and Hsp25 accumulation after heat shock. Here, we have investigated the effect mediated by other oncogenes on the accumulation of these stress proteins. We report that T-antigen transformation of NIH 3T3 cells delayed and reduced the accumulation of Hsp25 after heat shock and decreased the heat-mediated phosphorylation of this protein. This decreased level of Hsp25 correlated with a reduced accumulation of the corresponding mRNA and was related to T-antigen level. In contrast, T-antigen had no effect on the expression of the major stress protein Hsp70 nor did it interfere with the level of Hsp90 or Hsp60. We report also that v-src or Ha-ras oncogenes delayed Hsp25 accumulation after heat shock but that only v-src reduced the heat-induced phosphorylation of this protein. v-src, but not Ha-ras, interfered with Hsp70 expression and none of these oncogenes had an effect on Hsp60 or Hsp90 levels. Taken together, these observations suggest that an altered accumulation of Hsp25 after heat shock is a common characteristic of NIH 3T3 fibroblasts transformed by different oncogenes.     

NIH3T3 transforming gene not a general feature of atherosclerotic plaque DNA (atherosclerosis/oncogene/NIH3T3 transfection assay)

A recent study indicated that the DNA isolated from human coronary atherosclerotic lesions is capable of transforming NIH3T3 cells in culture. Using DNA isolated from rabbit aortic and human carotid atherosclerotic lesions, we failed to observe such transforming activity. Thus, NIH3T3 transforming activity does not appear to be a general feature of atherosclerotic lesions.     

Fastest Time to Cancer by Loss of Tumor Suppressor Genes

Genetic instability promotes cancer progression (by increasing the probability of cancerous mutations) as well as hinders it (by imposing a higher cell death rate for cells susceptible to cancerous mutation). With the loss of tumor suppressor gene function known to be responsible for a high percentage of breast and colorectal cancer (and a good fraction of lung cancer and other types as well), it is important to understand how genetic instability can be orchestrated toward carcinogenesis. In this context, this paper gives a complete characterization of the optimal (time-varying) cell mutation rate for the fastest time to a target cancerous cell population through the loss of both copies of a tumor suppressor gene. Similar to the (one-step) oncogene activation model previously analyzed, the optimal mutation rate of the present two-step model changes qualitatively with the convexity of the (mutation rate-dependent) cell death rate. However, the structure of the Hamiltonian for the new model differs significantly and intrinsically from that of the one-step model, and a completely new approach is needed for the solution of the present two-step problem. Considerable insight into the biology of optimal switching (between corner controls) is extracted from numerical results for cases with nonconvex death rates.     

Transformation of NIH 3T3 cells by overexpression of the normal coding sequence of the rat neu gene.

While the normal human erbB-2 gene is potently transforming when overexpressed in NIH 3T3 cells, its rat homolog, the neu gene, seems to acquire transforming properties only upon alteration of its coding sequence. In this study, we compared the effects of different levels of expression of normal erbB-2 and neu in NIH 3T3 cells. Our results revealed that the normal rat neu gene acts as a potent oncogene when sufficiently overexpressed in NIH 3T3 cells.     

Ca influx evoked by inositol-3,4,5,6-tetrakisphosphate in ras-transformed NIH/3T3 fibroblasts

Infusion of inositol-3,4,5,6-tetrakisphosphate (Ins(3,4,5,6)P₄) from the patch pipette into the cytoplasm, produced a biphasic intracellular free Ca²⁺ concentration ([Ca²⁺]_i) increase in ras-transformed NIH/3T3 (DT) cells. The Ins(3,4,5,6)P₄-induced increase in DT cells depended upon extracellular Ca²⁺ and was enhanced by membrane hyperpolarization. Identical [Ca²⁺]_i increases were observed with intracellular application of inositol-1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate (Ins(1,3,4,5)P₄) and inositol-1,3,4,6-tetrakisphosphate but not with inositol-1,2,4,5-tetrakisphosphate, inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate or inositol-1,3,4,5,6-pentakisphosphate. Stimulation of DT cells with bradykinin increased the levels of Ins(3,4,5,6)P₄ and Ins(1,3,4,5)P₄. These results suggest that Ins(3,4,5,6)P₄ may serve as a second messenger for continuous Ca²⁺ influx along with other tetrakisphosphates downstream from bradykinin receptors in DT cells.     

Cyclin D3-associated Kinase Activity Is Regulated by p27kip1 in BALB/c 3T3 Cells

We report that cyclin D3/cdk4 kinase activity is regulated by p27^kip1 in BALB/c 3T3 cells. The association of p27^kip1 was found to result in inhibition of cyclin D3 activity as measured by immune complex kinase assays utilizing cyclin D3-specific antibodies. The ternary p27^kip1/cyclin D3/cdk4 complexes do exhibit kinase activity when measured in immune complex kinase assays utilizing p27^kip1-specific antibodies. The association of p27^kip1 with cyclin D3 was highest in quiescent cells and declined upon mitogenic stimulation, concomitantly with declines in the total level of p27^kip1 protein. The decline in this association could be elicited by PDGF treatment alone; this was not sufficient, however, for activation of cyclin D3 activity, which also required the presence of factors in platelet-poor plasma in the culturing medium. Unlike cyclin D3 activity, which was detected only in growing cells, p27^kip1 kinase activity was present throughout the cell cycle. Since we found that the p27^kip1 activity was dependent on cyclin D3 and cdk4, we compared the substrate specificity of the active ternary complex containing p27^kip1 and the active cyclin D3 lacking p27^kip1 by tryptic phosphopeptide mapping of GST-Rb phosphorylated in vitro and also by comparing the relative phosphorylation activity toward a panel of peptide substrates. We found that ternary p27^kip1/cyclin D3/cdk4 complexes exhibited a different specificity than the active binary cyclin D3/cdk4 complexes, suggesting that p27^kip1 has the capacity to both inhibit cyclin D/cdk4 activity as well as to modulate cyclin D3/cdk4 activity by altering its substrate preference.     

Transformation of NIH 3T3 cells with cloned fragments of human cytomegalovirus strain AD169.

NIH 3T3 cells were transfected with restriction endonuclease and cloned human cytomegalovirus DNA fragments to identify the transforming region(s). Cleavage of human cytomegalovirus strain AD169 DNA with XbaI and HindIII left a transforming region intact whereas EcoRI inactivated this function. Transfection of cells with cosmids containing human cytomegalovirus DNA spanning the entire genome resulted in transformation by one cosmid, pCM1058, with the AD169 HindIII DNA fragments E, R, T, and a'. Cells were selected for their growth in 1.2% methylcellulose. The clones isolated had a significant replating efficiency and were oncogenic in BALB/c nu/nu mice. Transfection of cosmids and plasmids containing subsets of the viral sequences in pCM1058 identified a common region possessed by all of the transforming recombinant molecules. This region was in the HindIII E fragment with the left boundary defined by the EcoRI d-R junction and the right boundary defined by the HindIII E-T junction. Further mapping and transfection experiments determined that the transforming region was contained without a 2.9-kilobase fragment between map units 0.123 and 0.14 on the prototype molecule of the AD169 strain.     

Lysosomal inhibitors stimulate resting NIH 3T3 cells to proliferate

Abstract. Lysosomal inhibitors (amino acid methyl esters) and platelet-derived growth factor stimulate resting NIH 3T3 cells to enter the S period. Incubation of cells in medium containing lysosomal inhibitors causes an increase in protein accumulation and does not disrupt lysosomes. The results indicate that proliferative homeostasis depends partially on the metabolic status of the cell and that catabolic processes activated in resting cells negatively influence prereplicative reactions.     

Inhibition of DNA synthesis by protein kinase C-activating phorbol esters in NIH/3T3 cells

Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) plus insulin induced DNA synthesis in and proliferation of NIH/3T3 cells. The protein kinase C-activating phorbol ester, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), inhibited both the DNA synthesis and cell proliferation induced by FGF plus insulin. The concentration of TPA required for 50% inhibition of the DNA synthesis was about 5 nM. Phorbol-12,13-dibutyrate, another protein kinase C-activating phorbol ester, also inhibited the DNA synthesis but 4 alpha-phorbol-12,13-didecanoate, known to be inactive for this enzyme, was ineffective. DNA synthesis started at about 12 h after the addition of FGF plus insulin. The inhibitory action of TPA on the DNA synthesis was observed when it was added within 12 h after the addition of FGF plus insulin. These results suggest that phorbol esters exhibit an antiproliferative action through protein kinase C activation in NIH/3T3 cells, and that this action of phorbol esters is due to inhibition of the progression from the late G1 to the S phase of the cell cycle.