Differential gene expression in normal and transformed human mammary epithelial cells in response to oxidative stress

Oxidative stress plays a key role in breast carcinogenesis. To investigate whether normal and malignant breast epithelial cells differ in their responses to oxidative stress, we examined the global gene expression profiles of three cell types, representing cancer progression from a normal to a malignant stage, under oxidative stress. Normal human mammary epithelial cells (HMECs), an immortalized cell line (HMLER-1), and a tumorigenic cell line (HMLER-5) were exposed to increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by treatment with glucose oxidase. Functional analysis of the metabolic pathways enriched with differentially expressed genes demonstrated that normal and malignant breast epithelial cells diverge substantially in their response to oxidative stress. Whereas normal cells exhibit the up-regulation of antioxidant mechanisms, cancer cells are unresponsive to the ROS insult. However, the gene expression response of normal HMECs under oxidative stress is comparable to that of the malignant cells under normal conditions, indicating that altered redox status is persistent in breast cancer cells, which makes them resistant to increased generation of ROS. We discuss some of the possible adaptation mechanisms of breast cancer cells under persistent oxidative stress that differentiate them from normal mammary epithelial cells as regards the response to acute oxidative stress.     

EGF stimulates Mg influx in mammary epithelial cells

Magnesium is well established as a fundamental factor that regulates cell proliferation. However, the molecular mechanisms linking mitogenic signals, extracellular magnesium availability and intracellular effectors are still largely unknown. In the present study we sought to determine whether EGF regulates magnesium homeostasis in normal HC11 mammary epithelial cells. To this end, we measured Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ fluxes by confocal imaging in live cells loaded with specific fluorescent ion indicators (Mag-Fluo-4 and Fluo-4, respectively).     

Differential expression of cholinephosphotransferase in normal and cancerous human mammary epithelial cells

Membrane phospholipids as well as fatty acid profile of cell membrane phospholipids are altered in tumorigenicity and malignancy. Synthesis of total cellular phosphatidylcholine (PC) can be used as a marker for membrane proliferation in neoplastic mammary gland tissues. Cholinephosphotransferase (CPT), the terminal enzyme in the de novo synthesis of PC, has an important role in regulating the acyl group of PC in mammalian cells. In this study, the effect of neoplasia on CPT was examined. The gene shows an elevated expression in cancerous (11-9-14) breast epithelial cell line when compared to that of normal non-tumorigenic (MCF-12A) breast epithelial cell line. Four nucleotide substitutions are observed in the cancer cell line. Of these, three are null mutations, but the third one shows an interesting serine to tyrosine substitution (at amino acid position 89 of our partial sequence which corresponds to position 323 of the CPT sequence reported as NM_020244 in GenBank) in 11-9-14 cells. The tyrosine is present in the right context of KSELYQDT, which directs tyrosine phosphorylation at the tyrosine site. Biochemical approach also reveals a 1.5-fold stimulation in CPT activity in 11-9-14 cells compared to that of the MCF-12A cells.     

Characteristics of rat normal mammary epithelial cells and dimethylbenzanthracene-induced mammary adenocarcinoma cells grown in monolayer culture

Summary The characteristics of normal mammary epithelial and 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-induced adenocarcinoma cells derived from rats and grown in monolayer culture were compared. Normal mammary epithelial cells exhibited different morphology and agglutinability by plant lectins, slower growth rate, and lower saturation density and cloning efficiency. In addition, the normal cells were sensitive to the toxic effect of DMBA, and were unable to grow in soft agar or to form tumors, when inoculated into newborn Sparague-Dawley rats. The converse was true in each case for the adenocarcinoma cells. Supported by Public Health Service Research Grant CA 01237603 from the National Cancer Institute Portions of this paper were presented at the 65th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research at Houston, Texas, 1974.     

Differential expression of annexins I and II in normal and malignant human mammary epithelial cells

Abstract. Collagen-binding proteins ( CBPs ) of rat mammary tumors are identical to Ca²⁺-binding annexins [49]. We have now isolated a protein of 38 kDa from the human mammary tumor cell line ALAB by collagen type I affinity chromatography as well as by extraction of calcium-binding proteins. The 38-kDa band of both preparations was identified as annexin II (calpactin I) by its reaction with an annexin II-specific monoclonal antibody in Western blot analysis. Annexin I (lipocortin I) was not detectable in these cells. Two other human cell lines, the SV40-transformed cell line SV3 and cell line HBL-100, both established from normal mammary glands, were also positive for annexin II and negative for annexin I.
In vivo expression of annexins was investigated by immunohistological staining of normal and malignant human mammary tissue. The annexin II-specific mAb reacted with normal and tumor parenchyme whereas the annexin I-specific mAb reacted with acini and ductal myoepithelium of the normal mammary gland but showed no reaction with tumor tissue. Immunolocalization studies also showed annexin II expression in both normal and tumor stroma while only tumor stromal cells were found to be reactive with the antibody against annexin I. The differential expression of annexins in normal and malignant human mammary tissue suggests special functions of these proteins in the mammary gland.     

Cultured proliferating rat mammary epithelial cells

Summary Normal epithelial cells from the rat mammary gland proliferated in culture when plated with lethally irradiated cells of the LA7 rat mammary tumor line. Proliferation of the normal rat cells occured as the LA7 cells slowly died from the radiation. By labeling the cultures with³H-thymidine it was determined that most of the proliferating rat cells were those adjacent to the LA7 feeder cells. The epithelial cells from the primary culture proliferated after subsequent passages if the cells were plated at each subculture with newly irradiated LA7 cells. If the cells were plated at a ratio of ∼1:8 rat:LA7 a confluent layer of normal rat cells covered the plastic substrate after 6 to 7 wk. The cells have so far been carried up through Passage 7, which amounted to ∼19 doublings in cell number, and still proliferate vigorously. The growth medium for this culture system was Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium:Ham’s F12 1:1 supplemented with fetal bovine serum, insulin, and antibiotics. The presence in the cells of keratin, desmosomes, and cell junctions attested to their epithelial origin. The cultures were composed of cells with diploid or near diploid chromosome numbers. Samples of the cultured cells were implanted into the cleared fat pads of nude mice. Most of the implants from Passage 2 formed normal mammary ductal structures, but the incidence of outgrowths decreased significantly with later passages until no out-growths resulted from the implantation of cells from Passage 5. The one unusual, feeder-independent cell line that arose from a primary culture seemed to be immortal in culture, contained a hyperdiploid chromosome complement, and formed abnormal structures when implanted into cleared fat pads. This work was supported by the Veterans Administration, Washington, DC, and by CA grant 05388 from the U.S. Public Health Service, Washington, DC.     

Differential expression of human tissue factor in normal mammary epithelial cells and in carcinomas.

BACKGROUND: Tissue factor (TF) is a glycoprotein which binds factor VIIa. The TF-VIIa complex serves as a potent initiator of the coagulation pathways. TF, an immediate early gene, may also play a role in cell growth. Expression of TF was correlated with some types of cancers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Normal, immortalized, and tumor human mammary epithelial cells were used in the experiments. The differential display (DD) technique was used to identify genes differentially expressed in the cells. TF expression patterns were examined by Northern blot analysis, immunofluorescence staining of cultured cells, and immunohistochemical staining in human cryostat sections. RESULTS: In a 5-way display, an amplified polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product was found in normal and immortalized human mammary epithelial cells but not in the breast cancer cells. The PCR fragment was cloned and sequenced. The result showed that the fragment was identical to human tissue factor. Northern blot analysis showed that expression level of tissue factor mRNA remained high in growing, quiescent, and senescent normal mammary epithelial cells. Immunofluorescence staining also confirmed tissue factor expression pattern in the cell lines tested. Immunohistochemical staining showed that tissue factor was expressed in the normal luminal and myoepithelial cells of some ducts but not others. No staining was observed in invasive carcinoma cells. However, myoepithelial cell staining was seen in some residual ductal structures in invasive tumors. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows the use of DD to reveal the loss of TF expression pattern in human breast cancer cell lines. Immunohistochemical staining results showed breast carcinoma cells expressed little TF, if any, suggesting that TF is not required for breast tumor cell invasion. The results also indicated that TF expression was independent of the proliferation status of the expressing cells. The expression pattern of TF may be a meaningful marker in the development of breast cancer.     

Maintenance of normal rat mammary epithelial cells by insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1

Normal rat mammary epithelial cells were cultured within a rat tail collagen gel matrix formed under improved conditions for controlling pH and osmolarity. Under these conditions, growth can be maintained for up to 3 weeks with a 10- to 15-fold increase in cell number. The cells grow in response to prolactin, progesterone, epidermal growth factor, and cholera toxin, in a medium of DME: Ham's F12 supplemented with BSA and insulin at 10 micrograms/ml. When the insulin concentration was reduced to more physiological levels (10 ng/ml) the cells did not grow. However, at these more physiological concentrations it could be shown that insulin had a concentration-dependent effect on the maintenance of the cells with an optimum concentration around 25 ng/ml. The cells could be maintained in hormone-supplemented medium with low levels of insulin in a quiescent state for up to 14 days. The high levels of insulin needed for optimal growth could be replaced by insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) at much lower concentrations (25-50 ng/ml). The superphysiological level of insulin required for optimum growth is probably due to its acting weakly through an IGF-1-mediated growth-promoting mechanism. Insulin's effect on cell maintenance occurs at physiological levels and may better reflect its role in mammary cell growth.     

Response of cultured normal human mammary epithelial cells to X rays

The effect of X rays on the reproductive death of cultured normal human mammary epithelial cells was examined. Techniques were developed for isolating and culturing normal human mammary epithelial cells which provide sufficient cells at second passage for radiation studies, and an efficient clonogenic assay suitable for measuring radiation survival curves. It was found that the survival curves for epithelial cells from normal breast tissue were exponential and had D0 values of about 109-148 rad for 225 kVp X rays. No consistent change in cell radiosensitivity with the age of donor was observed, and no sublethal damage repair in these cells could be detected with the split-dose technique.     

In vitro and in vivo growth and casein gene expression of mouse mammary tumor epithelial cells in response to hormones

Cells from autochthonous mouse mammary carcinomas which display estrogen-independent growth in vivo were studied for their hormonal responses in primary culture. A culture system employing insulin-supplemented, serum-free medium and basement membrane Matrigel as a substratum was used to cultivate tumor cells. The cells did not exhibit in vitro estrogen- or prolactin-dependent growth. Primary tumors still displayed a constitutional expression of alpha-, beta-, and gamma-casein mRNAs. These messages were dramatically reduced during the culture period. However, seven to eightfold increases in alpha- and beta-casein mRNAs were inducible in the 5-day cultures by treatment with prolactin and hydrocortisone. If the hormones were present through a 2-week culture period, the levels of alpha-, beta-, and gamma-casein mRNAs in the cells were maintained and displayed in a time-dependent increase with a peak at 10-14 days. The accumulation of beta-casein mRNA in vitro did not require DNA synthesis. Administration of prolactin directly into the growing tumors in vivo could also enhance beta-casein mRNA levels in the tumor cells. Morphological studies of the cells cultured in the presence of prolactin and hydrocortisone did not reveal visible changes compared with those without hormonal treatment. Transplantation of tumor cells cultured in the presence or absence of hormones resulted in the development of tumors in mice at approximately the same time. The current studies suggest that the autochthonous mammary tumor cells, independent of estrogen for cell growth, were still inducible for casein gene expression in vitro and in vivo by appropriate hormones. The induction and maintenance of casein messages by a single hormonal treatment did not appear to correlate with morphology and DNA synthesis of cells in vitro or with tumor-producing capacities in vivo.     

Interactions between normal mammary epithelial cells and mammary tumour cells in a model system

Abstract. Normal mammary epithelial (NME) cells and MCF-7 cells aggregate and grow as spheroids when cultured on extracellular matrix derived from Engelbreth/ Holmes/Swarth (EHS) tumour. NME cells stop dividing and differentiate but MCF-7 cells continue to proliferate, although growth is counterbalanced by cell death. In mixed cultures of NME cells and MCF-7 cells, the two cell types form mixed aggregates but then segregate to form well separated domains, often joined by only a narrow neck of cells. In these mixed cultures the growth of MCF-7 cells is inhibited by a factor secreted by NME cells into the medium.     

Secretion of a TGF-beta-like growth inhibitor by normal rat mammary epithelial cells in vitro

We have examined conditioned medium (CM) from cultures of normal rat mammary epithelial (RME) cells for growth factor activity on fresh RME cell cultures. RME cell-derived CM contained potent growth inhibitory activity toward fresh RME cell cultures when the medium was acidified by dialysis against 1% acetic acid prior to concentration. Dialysis of the CM at neutral pH resulted in CM that had growth stimulatory activity and no inhibitory activity. The acid-activated growth inhibitor was heat and acid stable, protease sensitive, and eluted from a Bio-Gel p60 column with a peak of activity in the 28 kDa range. Incubation of the acidified-concentrated CM with neutralizing antiserum (affinity purified IgG) against transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta completely abolished the inhibitory activity of the CM. Furthermore, RME cell growth in the presence of the growth inhibitor plus TGF-beta antiserum was greater than that observed in growth medium alone. Subsequent experiments demonstrated that addition of TGF-beta antiserum alone to serum-free medium enhanced RME cell growth, whereas addition of nonimmune IgG was without effect even at 25-fold higher concentrations. Zymographic analysis of RME-CM revealed the presence of plasminogen activator proteases that may mediate the partial activation of the latent growth factor. These results indicate that normal RME cells secrete a latent TGF-beta-like growth factor into conditioned medium. Furthermore, the results indicate that some of the latent growth factor is activated in situ and contributes to the growth potential of the cells in primary culture in an autocrine manner.     

Primary culture of normal rat mammary epithelial cells within a basement membrane matrix. I. Regulation of proliferation by hormones and growth factors

Summary A serum-free primary culture system has been developed which allows for three-dimensional growth and differentiation of normal rat mammary epithelial cells (RMECs) within an extracellular matrix preparation. RMECs were isolated from mamary glands of immature 50- to 60-d-old rats and the organoids embedded within a reconstituted basement membrane matrix prepared from the Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm sarcoma. Cells grown in a serum-free media consisting of phenol red-free Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium-F12 culture medium containing 10 μg/ml insulin, 1 μg/ml prolactin, 1 μg/ml progesterone, 1 μg/ml hydrocortisone, 10 ng/ml epidermal growth factor (EGF), 1 mg/ml fatty-acid-free bovine serum albumin (BSA), 5 μg/ml transferrin, and 5 μM ascorbic acid proliferated extensively (15- to 20-fold increase in cell number as quantitated using the MTT dye assay) over a 2- to 3-wk culture period and remained viable for months in culture. Several types of colonies were observed including the alveolarlike budding cluster which predominates at later times in culture, units with no or various degrees of ductal-like projections, stellate colonies, and two-and three-dimensional web units. Optimal proliferation required insulin, prolactin, progesterone, EGF, and bovine serum albumin. Hydrocortisone was not required for proliferation, but the colonies developing in its absence were morphologically altered, with a high frequency of colonies that formed an extensively branched network with many fine projections. Cell proliferation was also dependent on substratum, with significantly less growth and development occurring in RMECs grown within a type I collagen gel matrix compared to RMECs grown within the reconstituted basement membrane. In conjunction with other studies demonstrating extensive differentiation as well as proliferation, it is concluded that this model should prove to be an improtant tool to study the hormonal regulation of the growth and development of rat mammary cells. This work was supported by grants CA 33240 and CA 35641 and by core grant CA 24538 from the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.     

v-myc alters the response of a cloned mouse mammary epithelial cell line to lactogenic hormones

Several oncogenes have now been implicated in mammary carcinogenesis. We investigated the phenotypic effects of expressing three representative oncogenes in mammary epithelial cells. v-myc (coding for a nuclear protein), v-Ha-ras (a G-protein homologue) and v-fgr (a tyrosine kinase) genes were introduced into the nontumorigenic clone 14 of the mouse mammary epithelial cell line COMMA-1D. Their effects upon growth and differentiation were determined. Anchorage-independent growth was induced by all three oncogenes with low efficiency. v-Ha-ras and v-fgr induced tumorigenicity in nude mice. The effect of oncogenes upon parameters unique to mammary epithelial cells in vitro was assayed. Both v-myc and v-fgr abolished the ability of clone 14 to grow as three-dimensional branching structures in hydrated collagen gel. v-fgr completely and v-myc partially inhibited the expression of the epithelium specific cytokeratins. Clone 14 can be induced to produce the beta-casein milk protein by the combination of the lactogenic hormones, dexamethasone, insulin, and PRL. Introduction of v-myc into clone 14 cells resulted in an estimated 50-fold increased induction of beta-casein protein and at least a 60-fold increase in beta-casein mRNA. The number of cells stained with anti-beta casein antibodies also showed a 10-fold increase after v-myc introduction. This still required the synergistic action of all three lactogenic hormones. Thus v-myc can alter the normal response of mammary epithelial cells to lactogenic hormones.     

Serum-free culture conditions for the growth of normal rat mammary epithelial cells in primary culture

Summary A monolayer culture system has recently been developed for the extended growth and serial passage of normal rat mammary epithelial (RME) cells. In this system the cells undergo greater than 20 population doublings when grown on type I collagen-coated tissue culture dishes in Ham's F12 medium supplemented with insulin, hydrocortisone, epidermal growth factor, prolactin, progesterone, cholera toxin, and 5% fetal bovine serum (FBS). The purpose of the present studies was to define additional growth factors that would allow equivalent RME cell proliferation in serum-free medium. Ethanolamine (EA) was effective at reducing the FBS requirements for RME cell proliferation and at its optimum concentration did so by greater than 20-fold. Even with optimum levels of EA there was essentially no cell proliferation in the absence of FBS. However, addition of bovine serum albumin (BSA) to the hormone, growth factor, and EA-supplemented medium resulted in substantial proliferation in the absence of serum, and the further addition of transferrin (T) potentiated this effect. Thus, in this culture system, replacement of FBS with EA, BSA, and T resulted in RME cell proliferation in primary culture which was equivalent to that obtained in the 5% FBS-containing medium. This work was supported by grant RR-05529 from the Division of Research Resources, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, and by Public Health Service grant CA40064-01 from the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD.     

Differential transformation of mammary epithelial cells by Wnt genes.

The mouse Wnt family includes at least 10 genes that encode structurally related secreted glycoproteins. Wnt-1 and Wnt-3 were originally identified as oncogenes activated by the insertion of mouse mammary tumor virus in virus-induced mammary adenocarcinomas, although they are not expressed in the normal mammary gland. However, five other Wnt genes are differentially expressed during development of adult mammary tissue, suggesting that they may play distinct roles in various phases of mammary gland growth and development. Induction of transformation by Wnt-1 and Wnt-3 may be due to interference with these normal regulatory events; however, there is no direct evidence for this hypothesis. We have tested Wnt family members for the ability to induce transformation of cultured mammary cells. The results demonstrate that the Wnt gene family can be divided into three groups depending on their ability to induce morphological transformation and altered growth characteristics of the C57MG mammary epithelial cell line. Wnt-1, Wnt-3A, and Wnt-7A were highly transforming and induced colonies which formed and shed balls of cells. Wnt-2, Wnt-5B, and Wnt-7B also induced transformation but with a lower frequency and an apparent decrease in saturation density. In contrast, Wnt-6 and two other family members which are normally expressed in C57MG cells, Wnt-4 and Wnt-5A, failed to induce transformation. These data demonstrate that the Wnt genes have distinct effects on cell growth and should not be regarded as functionally equivalent.     

Sulphated proteins secreted by rat mammary epithelial cells

The main sulphated proteins secreted by rat mammary gland tissue have Mr of approximately 32 000, 27 000 and 25 000 Da. In addition, there are high Mr components which have a diffuse electrophoretic mobility (Mr > 200 000) and most likely corresponded to proteoglycans. The sulphate groups in the proteins with discrete Mr are most likely all linked to carbohydrates. These sulphated molecules were partially purified and identified to isoforms of rat alpha-lactalbumin for the 25-27 kDa bands and to kappa-casein for the 32 kDa band. This pattern of protein sulphation is, as far as we know, quite specific to rat mammary epithelial cells.     

Transferrin receptor activity in rat mammary epithelial cells

The binding of 125I-transferrin to rat mammary cells isolated by collagenase and hyaluronidase digestion has been investigated. Surface binding was determined at 4 degrees C and total binding also at 4 degrees C but in the presence of 0.1% w/v saponin. KD values between 20 and 25 nM were obtained. Binding assays at 37 degrees C showed the internalisation of the receptor and the bound transferrin was occurring but also provided evidence for an impaired recycling of the receptors to the cell surface in the freshly isolated cells. No differences in total binding were observed in cells prepared at different stages of lactation with a mean value of 29 fmol transferrin bound/micrograms cellular DNA, equivalent to 180,000 receptors per cell.     

Serum-free primary culture of normal mouse mammary epithelial and stromal cells

Summary An in vitro serum-free culture system provides an important approach to the understanding of local hormonal regulation of mammary epithelial and fibroblast cells, avoiding the complexity of the in vivo environment and the influence of undefined serum factors. The substratum conditions and medium components have been examined for the basal growth of epithelial cells, fibroblasts, and combined epithelial and fibroblast cells in monolayer cultures. Epithelial cells and mixed cells exhibit good attachment and maintenance on a collagen-coated surface in a minimal medium supplemented with fetuin and insulin. In contrast, fibroblast-enriched cultures require a plastic substratum and a medium supplemented with insulin, fetuin, and hydrocortisone. In mixed cell culture, fibroblasts are maintained well in the minimal media which supports the maintenance of epithelial cells. These results indicate that the presence of epithelial cells in mixed cell cultures can influence fibroblast function. The media developed in the present study can be used in future studies of fibroblast and epithelial cell interactions with regard to hormone and growth factor regulation of their growth and differentiation.