Adhesion, chemotaxis, and aggregation of Walker carcinosarcoma cells in response to products of resorbing bone.

Cells from the Walker 256 carcinosarcoma, a rat breast tumor with a propensity to metastasize to bone, were labeled with [131I]5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine and then added to 96-hour organ cultures of fetal Sprague-Dawley rat calvaria that had been prelabeled with 45Ca and incubated with various stimulators or inhibitors of resorption. In conditioned media from resorbing bone cultures, the number of cells that attached to the bone surfaces correlated with the degree of bone resorption (r = 0.65; P less than .005). The attachment response was maximal after 180 minutes of cocultivation and was inhibited by preincubation of the tumor cells with 10(-5) M cytochalasin B. Cellular attachment appeared to be promoted by a trypsin-sensitive factor released into the organ culture medium from resorbing bones. Enhanced tumor cell attachment did not appear to be related to a change in the surface properties of the resorbing bone, since it was not observed when the conditioned media were replaced with fresh medium. Furthermore, tumor cells placed in conditioned medium demonstrated increased attachment to plastic surfaces and formed aggregates. While there was a direct correlation between the ability of conditioned medium to promote cellular adhesion and chemotactic migration (r = 0.85; P less than .05), the factors responsible for chemotaxis and adhesion could be separated by gel filtration. The release of such factors from resorbing bones may promote the formation of secondary bone tumors, since in this system attachment of unlabeled cells was followed by proliferation of tumor cells and evidence of bone invasion.

Intravital videomicroscopic evidence for regulation of metastasis by the hepatic microvasculature: effects of interleukin-1alpha on metastasis and the location of B16F1 melanoma cell arrest.

There have been few reported visual observations of metastatic cancer cell arrest in vivo. To seek evidence that inducible vascular adhesive properties can regulate hepatic metastasis, groups of 9-14 c57bl/6 mice were given 1.5 microg of interleukin-1alpha (IL-1alpha) 4 h before the injection of 3 x 10(5) B16F1 melanoma cells into a mesenteric vein. After 7 days, these mice had an 11-22-fold greater hepatic tumor burden than controls given i.p. saline. In both groups, small metastases were seen in the portal tract region. Twice as many 125I-labeled UdR-labeled B16F1 cells were detected in the livers of IL-1alpha-treated animals 5 min after injection, and 7 times as many were found after 24 h. Intravital videomicroscopy showed marked differences in the arrest pattern of the B16F1 cells between controls and IL-1alpha-treated mice. In controls, arrest occurred at a median distance of 32 microm beyond the sinusoidal inlet, where the median sinusoidal diameter was 16 microm. However, in IL-1alpha-treated mice, arrest occurred in the presinusoidal portal vein branches, which had a median diameter of 34 microm. Maximum observed tumor cell velocities were 2-fold less in the IL-1alpha-treated mice, although there was no significant difference in the flow rate of RBCs. To look for effects on the adhesive properties of the hepatic microvasculature, 5 x 10(4) B16F1 cells were incubated for 15 min on 5-microm sections of liver from control and IL-1alpha-treated mice. Three-fold more cells adhered to sections of liver from IL-1alpha-treated mice. This phenomenon was blocked by GRGDS peptides and by antibodies to E-selectin, ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and the alpha v integrin subunit. We postulate that pretreatment of mice with IL-1alpha alters a number of adhesive interactions between B16F1 cells and the hepatic microvasculature, contributing to the site of arrest and to the subsequent fate of the arrested cells.

Binding of formyl peptides to Walker 256 carcinosarcoma cells and the chemotactic response of these cells.

N-Formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine (fMLP) induces chemotaxis in leukocytes, the response being mediated by peptide binding to a receptor on the plasma membrane. In tumor cells, this peptide has been reported to induce cellular swelling and chemotaxis in vitro and to enhance the localization of circulating tumor cells in vivo. In the Boyden chamber, we evaluated the migratory responses of Walker carcinosarcoma 256 cells to varying concentrations of fMLP. Sigmoidal dose-response curves were obtained with the dose of chemotactic factor that elicits a half-maximal chemotactic response of 5.0 +/- 2.5 X 10(-8) M. Checkerboard analysis indicated that these responses were dependent upon a concentration gradient of fMLP with increases in migration of circa 2 to 2.5 times that of random movement. To examine the binding of fMLP, the tumor cells were incubated with 5 X 10(-9) M fML-[3H]P in Hanks' balanced salt solution. Specific binding (0.5 to 1% of total radioligand, to whole cells inhibited by 5 X 10(-6) M fMLP) approached equilibrium after 4 to 6 h at 4 degrees C and after 6 to 10 h at 22 degrees C. Autoradiographic studies demonstrated heterogeneous binding of the peptide by tumor cells and also showed its intracellular localization. In homogenates of Walker cells prepared in 0.1 M Tris HCl, pH 7.4, with 10 mM MgCl2 and bovine serum albumin (1 mg/ml), specific binding of approximately 0.5% of total fML-[3H]P reached equilibrium after 60 min at 4 degrees C. In whole cells and homogenates, binding was reversible by addition of unlabeled fMLP. In whole cells, displacement curves demonstrated a Kd of 1.9 +/- 0.1 X 10(-7) M, whereas in homogenates there was a background of low affinity (Kd greater than 10(-5) M) nonsaturable binding, but also a high-affinity component with Kd of 4.9 +/- 1.8 X 10(-8) M. Both chemotaxis and binding were inhibited by the oligopeptide, N-carbobenzoxy-L-phenylalanyl-L-methionine, which is a competitive inhibitor of formyl peptide-induced neutrophil chemotaxis. These data suggest that fMLP stimulates chemotaxis in tumor cells by a receptor-mediated pathway.

Promotion of pulmonary metastasis in mice by bleomycin-induced endothelial injury.

The passage of circulating tumor cells across the vascular wall is an important step in the evolution of cancer metastases. Since tumor cells attach preferentially to subendothelial matrix at sites of endothelial injury and retraction in vitro, we have used an established in vivo model of pulmonary endothelial damage to examine the effects of endothelial injury on the localization and metastasis of circulating tumor cells in vivo. C57BL/6 mice were given a single i.v. dose of bleomycin (120 mg/kg) or multiple i.p. injections (10 mg/kg, twice weekly for 6 wk). Five days after the single injection or 4 days after the last i.p. injection, 2 X 10(5) [131I] iododeoxyuridine-labeled fibrosarcoma cells or unlabeled cells were injected i.v. Two to 8 times as many labeled cells were found in the lungs of bleomycin-treated animals after 24 h. Two and 3 wk after injecting unlabeled fibrosarcoma cells, 1.4 to 5 times more metastatic lung colonies were counted in bleomycin-treated animals than in controls. Morphometric analysis of histological sections demonstrated that the percentage of lung area occupied by tumor in bleomycin-treated animals was between 4 and 16 times that of controls. Analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluids demonstrated 5-fold increases of total protein content and leakage of previously injected 125l-labeled albumin, indicating increased endothelial permeability. Electron microscopic examination of lungs of bleomycin-treated mice demonstrated endothelial retraction with exposure of the underlying basement membrane. Electron microscopy of [3H]thymidine-labeled tumor cells, located by autoradiography, demonstrated their attachment to exposed basal lamina. Data from these experiments in vivo support the hypothesis that endothelial damage can facilitate the metastasis of circulating tumor cells.

Relationships between chemotaxis, chemotactic modulators, and cyclic nucleotide levels in tumor cells.

Like many freely moving cells, Walker 256 carcinosarcoma cells respond to chemotactic stimuli. Since cyclic nucleotides are involved in the chemotaxis of other cells, we have examined the action of several nucleosides and nucleotides as chemoattractants and as modulators of tumor cell movement. We have also studied the effect of chemoattractants and prostaglandins on intracellular cyclic nucleotide levels and the effect of prostaglandins as modulators of chemotaxis. Of the agents studied, only the cyclic nucleotides and prostaglandins were found to modulate cellular motility. Neither cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate (cAMP) nor cyclic guanosine 3':5'-monophosphate (cGMP) was a chemoattractant, but cGMP and N6,O2'-dibutyryl cyclic guanosine 3':5'-monophosphate at low concentrations (approximately 10(-10) M to 10(-8) M) enhanced chemotaxis by 80 +/- 15%, and both cAMP and N6,O2-dibutyryl cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate had an inhibitory effect at concentrations greater than 10(-6) M. Chemotaxis was suppressed by 21 to 100% in media depleted of Ca2+ and/or Mg2+, but in the presence of 10(-8) M cGMP, there was partial recovery of the chemotactic response. In response to chemotactic stimulation, there was a 28 to 60% rise in intracellular cAMP within 30 sec. This returned to basal levels within 2 min. Intracellular cGMP levels became elevated approximately 3- to 3.5-fold after this time. Incubation of cells with prostaglandins A1 and F2 alpha stimulated chemotaxis at lower concentrations (10(-7) and 10(-9) M, respectively) and resulted in elevation of cGMP, while incubation with prostaglandin E2 resulted in inhibition of chemotaxis and a rise in cAMP levels.

Increased growth rate and tumor burden of spontaneously metastatic Walker 256 cancer cells in the skeleton of bisphosphonate-treated rats.

We have studied the effect of 3-amino-1-hydroxypropylidene-1,1-bisphosphonate (APD) on the morphology of rat bone and the metastatic behavior of Walker 256 (W256) cancer cells in the rat skeleton. Male Fischer rats (150-175 g) received s.c. injections for 7 days with APD (0.5 mg/kg body weight/day) (+ APD; n = 20) or with vehicle (-APD; n = 20). Subsequently, 10 + PD and 10 -APD rats received i.m. injections with W256 cells (+ W256), and the remaining rats received injections of vehicle (-W256). All rats were killed 14 days later. Trabecular bone volume was increased by 46 +/- 3% by APD treatment alone and was decreased by 56 +/- 7% (SEM) by W256 tumor burden alone. After 14 days of tumor burden, + APD/+ W256 rats had 3-fold more trabecular bone than did -APD/+W256 rats. Despite this bone-sparing effect, APD treatment of +W256 rats was associated with a 2.6-fold increase in skeletal tumor burden, while metastatic tumor burden in the liver, lungs, and kidneys was unaffected. The increased skeletal tumor burden in + APD/+ W256 rats was accompanied by an increase in the growth rate of W256 cells located in bone. Independent of APD treatment, W256 cells located adjacent to trabecular bone surfaces had greater growth rates than did W256 cells in the marrow, located > 50 microns from trabecular bone. In summary, the APD-induced increase in trabecular bone volume in rats is associated with a selective increase in skeletal tumor burden and an increased growth rate of W256 cells in the skeleton.

Up-regulated biosynthesis and expression of endothelial cell vitronectin receptor enhances cancer cell adhesion.

Extravasation of circulating cancer cells during metastasis is thought to involve adhesion to the vascular endothelium. To characterize this process, we measured the attachment of A549 human lung carcinoma cells to monolayers of cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Pretreatment of the endothelial cells with 10 ng/ml interleukin 1 alpha (IL-1) for 4 h increased cancer cell attachment 2-5-fold. This increase was blocked by 100 microM glycyl-arginyl-glycyl-aspartyl-serine peptide and was decreased 60 +/- 10% (SD) by a vitronectin receptor polyclonal antiserum or 56 +/- 8% by a vitronectin receptor monoclonal antibody, LM609. Glycyl-arginyl-glycyl-aspartyl-serine or the vitronectin receptor antibodies did not inhibit cancer cell attachment to untreated endothelial cells. A fibronectin receptor antiserum had no effect on attachment to untreated or IL-1-treated endothelial cells. Pretreatment of endothelial cells with IL-1 increased their adhesion to fibronectin and vitronectin and increased the expression of vitronectin receptor and fibronectin receptor as detected by immunofluorescence flow cytometry, quantitative antibody binding, and immunoprecipitation of [35S]methionine-labeled cell extracts. IL-1 pretreatment also increased beta 1, beta 3, and alpha, integrin mRNA. The A549 cells did not express vitronectin receptor, since LM609 did not inhibit A549 adhesion to vitronectin or bind to A549 cells in flow cytometry, and vitronectin receptor antisera failed to immunoprecipitate vitronectin receptor from A549 cells. Furthermore, the beta 3 complementary DNA probe failed to hybridize to A549 RNA. A549 cells did express fibronectin receptor, which was increased by IL-1 treatment. We conclude that IL-1 induces the expression of both vitronectin receptor and fibronectin receptor on endothelial cells and that vitronectin receptor, in turn, facilitates A549 cell adhesion to endothelial cells.

Chemiluminescence and oxygen radical generation by Walker carcinosarcoma cells following chemotactic stimulation.

The peptide N-formyl-Met-Leu-Phe stimulates chemotaxis and metastasis in rat Walker carcinosarcoma cells by a receptor-mediated pathway. Since oxygen radical generation follows chemotactic stimulation in leukocytes, we looked for similar responses in the Walker tumor. Upon incubation with 10(-6) M N-formyl-Met-Leu-Phe, Walker cells elicited chemiluminescence in the presence of 5 X 10(-5) M luminol. The response peaked within 2 min and was maintained for greater than 20 min; it was dose dependent with a 50% maximal effective dose (ED50) value of 4.5 X 10(-8) comparable to the 50% maximal effective dose value for chemotaxis. The responses were significantly reduced but not abolished in the absence of calcium in the external medium and were elicited by the ionophore A23187. The lipoxygenase inhibitor nordihydroguaiaretic acid had almost no effect in decreasing the response, while flurbiprofen, a cyclooxygenase inhibitor was very effective at 10(-6) M. Evidence for the generation of oxygen radicals included: (a) marked inhibition of light emission in the absence of oxygen; (b) inhibition in the presence of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and mannitol; and (c) dose-dependent reduction of acetylated cytochrome c. We postulate that activation of circulating tumor cells may facilitate metastasis by the release of toxic oxygen species.

Chemotactic activity of endothelial cell-derived interleukin 1 for human tumor cells.

Endothelium and the vascular basement membrane form important barriers between the circulation and extravascular compartment. Cancer cell motility contributes to the passage of metastatic cells across this barrier, an essential step in tumor dissemination. In this study we found that the conditioned media of human endothelial monolayers contained a chemoattractant for neoplastic cells and that the chemoattractant activity was greater in the media of cultures which had been stimulated 4 h previously with 10 micrograms/ml bacterial lipopolysaccharide or the peptide formyl-L-methionyl-L-leucyl-L-phenylalanine at a concentration of 10(-6) M. The generation of this activity correlated with the expression of intracellular mRNA for interleukin 1 (IL-1) and with the presence of IL-1 biological activity in the conditioned media. The chemotactic activity in these media was lost after they had been incubated with anti-IL-1. Finally, recombinant human IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta stimulated dose-dependent, random, and directed migration of human tumor cell populations in the Boyden chamber assay. Thus, this paper describes a mechanism by which the production of IL-1 by endothelial cells could modulate the behavior of tumor cells within the circulation.

B16 melanoma cell arrest in the mouse liver induces nitric oxide release and sinusoidal cytotoxicity: a natural hepatic defense against metastasis.

The formation of liver metastases involves interactions between intravascular cancer cells and the hepatic microvasculature. Here we provide evidence that the arrest of intravascular B16F1 melanoma cells in the liver induces a rapid local release of nitric oxide (NO) that causes apoptosis of the melanoma cells and inhibits their subsequent development into hepatic metastases. B16F1 melanoma cells (5 x 10(5)) labeled with fluorescent microspheres were injected into the portal circulation of C57BL/6 mice. The production of NO in vivo was detected by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy ex vivo using an exogenous NO-trapping agent. A burst of NO was observed in liver samples examined immediately after tumor cell injection. The relative electron paramagnetic resonance signal intensity was 667 +/- 143 units in mice injected with tumor cells versus 28 +/- 5 units after saline injection (P < 0.001). Two-thirds of cells arrested in the sinusoids compared with the terminal portal venules (TPVs). By double labeling of B16F1 cells with fluorescent microspheres and a TdT-mediated UTP end labeling assay, we determined that the melanoma cells underwent apoptosis from 4-24 h after arrest. The mean rate of apoptosis was 2-fold greater in the sinusoids than in the TPVs at 4, 8, and 24 h after injection (P < 0.05-0.01). Apoptotic cells accounted for 15.9 +/- 0.8% of tumor cells located in the sinusoids and 7.1 +/- 0.9% of tumor cells in the TPVs. The NO synthase inhibitor N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester completely blocked the NO burst (P < 0.001) and inhibited the apoptosis of B16F1 cells in the sinusoids by 77%. However, the rate of tumor cell apoptosis in the TPVs was not changed. There were 5-fold more metastatic nodules in the livers of N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester-treated mice (P < 0.05). The inactive enantiomer N(G)-nitro-D-arginine methyl ester had no effect on the initial NO burst or on apoptosis of tumor cells in vivo. Both annexin V phosphatidylserine plasma membrane labeling and DNA end labeling of apoptotic cells were demonstrated after a 5-min exposure (a time equivalent to the initial transient NO induction in vivo) of B16F1 cells to a NO donor in vitro. These results identify the existence of a natural defense mechanism against cancer metastasis whereby the arrest of tumor cells in the liver induces endogenous NO release, leading to sinusoidal tumor cell killing and reduced hepatic metastasis formation.

Inhibition of SV40 T antigen-induced hepatocellular carcinoma in TIMP-1 transgenic mice.

The potential of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) to inhibit neoplastic progression has been postulated from studies of genetically manipulated cells. To investigate whether the TIMP-1 expressed in a host tissue suppresses cancer in vivo and to identify the affected stages, we developed transgenic mice with constitutive overexpression or reduction of TIMP-1 in the liver. In double transgenic experiments, the TIMP-1 lines were crossed with a second transgenic line which expresses the Simian Virus 40t/T antigen (TAg). This viral oncogene leads to heritable development of hepatocellular carcinomas with a 100% incidence. Effects of TIMP-1 coexpression on the TAg-induced neoplasms were determined at the tissue and cellular level. Here, we report that overexpression of hepatic TIMP-1 blocked the development of TAg-induced hepatocellular carcinomas. High TIMP-1 levels inhibited not only the later stages in tumor development (growth and angiogenesis), but also events associated with tumor initiation (altered hepatocyte cytology and tissue architecture). We further show that an antisense-mediated reduction of TIMP-1 resulted in a more rapid tumor initiation and progression. These data demonstrate that intrinsic TIMP-1 levels contribute to a tissue's susceptibility to viral oncogene-induced tumorigenesis.

Host TIMP-1 overexpression confers resistance to experimental brain metastasis of a fibrosarcoma cell line.

Within the tumor-stromal microenvironment a disrupted balance between matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their inhibitors compromises the integrity of the extracellular matrix and promotes malignancy. Tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) have been linked to tumor suppression in studies of genetically altered tissue culture cells and in analyses of clinical specimens in situ. We generated transgenic mice as a model system to test the relationship between TIMP-1 levels in a host organ and susceptibility to experimentally targeted metastasis. Ectopically overexpressed TIMP-1 in the brain resulted in a tissue microenvironment with elevated protein levels of this natural MMP inhibitor. Metastatic challenge provided by lacZ-tagged fibrosarcoma cells permitted high-resolution analysis of metastatic load and pattern. We found that elevated host TIMP-1 imposed resistance to experimental metastasis of fibrosarcoma: In TIMP-1 overexpressing mice, brain metastases were significantly reduced by 75% compared to wild-type littermates. Our findings demonstrate that ectopic TIMP-1 expression efficiently exerts a suppressive effect on metastasizing tumor cells.

Mechanisms of tumor metastasis to bone.

Bone metastases occur in approximately 80% of patients with advanced cancer. They are characterized by cancer cell growth and bone destruction that cause pain, fractures, anemia, and hypercalcemia. At diagnosis, bone metastases are usually incurable owing to their advanced development. However, the early stages in their formation are asymptomatic and begin as single micrometastatic cells from the blood stream. These cells can be detected by molecular analysis of bone marrow in approximately 30% of patients at the time of cancer diagnosis, but not all single micrometastatic cells develop into clinically significant bone metastases. A synergistic relationship exists between the micometastasis and the bone environment creating favorable conditions for the development and growth of disseminated tumor cells. Such bone metastases induce osteolysis or new bone formation, releasing growth factors and cytokines, which in turn amplify this pathological mechanism. The underling hypothesis, first proposed by Paget in 1889, is that the growth of disseminated tumor cells in bone is dependent on the fertility of the soil or bone itself. This article explores the most current opinions in this area of study and presents a comprehensive summary of the major factors involved.

In vitro effects of bone- and platelet-derived transforming growth factor-beta on the growth of Walker 256 carcinosarcoma cells.

Conditioned media from fetal rat calvarial cultures has previously been shown to stimulate the growth of the bone-metastasizing Walker 256 carcinosarcoma cell line. In the current investigation we looked at the possibility that transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), present in conditioned media, and positively correlated with resorption in vitro, may be responsible for the enhanced proliferation of Walker cells cultured in these conditioned media. Purified platelet-derived TGF-beta produced a dose-dependent growth response in Walker cells with an ED50 equal to 0.05 ng/ml. Bone-derived TGF-beta activity in conditioned media, measured by NRK fibroblast colony formation, correlated well with percentage resorption in bone cultures, and growth activity in Walker cell culture. In addition to this, the growth response normally seen with conditioned media cultures of Walker cells was significantly inhibited by the addition of anti-TGF-beta 1 neutralizing antibody. We conclude that TGF-beta is an important growth stimulatory component from fetal rat calvaria.

Interactions between cancer cells and the microvasculature: a rate-regulator for metastasis.

Hematogenous metastasis is a major consideration in the staging, treatment and prognosis of patients with cancer. Key events affecting hematogeneous metastasis occur in the microvasculature. This is a brief, selective review of some interactions involving cancer cells and the microvasculature in pathologic sequence, specifically: (1) intravasation of cancer cells; (2) the arrest of circulating cancer cells in the microvasculature; (3) cancer cell trauma associated with arrest; (4) microvascular trauma; (5) the inflammatory; and (6) the hemostatic coagulative responses associated with arrest, and finally (7) angiogenesis, leading to tumor vascularization. The evidence shows that through a series of complex interactions with cancer cells, the microvasculature acts as a rate-regulator for the metastatic process, in addition to providing routes for cancer cell dissemination and arrest sites for cancer cell emboli.

Quantification of metastatic tumor growth in bleomycin-injured lungs.

The lung is a common target organ in experimental models of tumor metastasis in which quantification usually involves counting labeled tumor cells shortly after injection, or enumeration of grossly visible pleural tumors. In this study, these approaches were used in addition to autoradiographic and morphometric methods to analyse the effect of bleomycin-mediated injury on the development, distribution and quantification of pulmonary metastases. One day after intravenous injection of 2 X 10(5) fibrosarcoma cells, the lungs of C57 bl/6 mice, pretreated with bleomycin (120 mg/kg i.v., 5 days before) contained about nine times as many [131I] iododeoxyuridine-labeled cells as the lungs of control animals given saline injections. At this time, autoradiographic counts of [3H]thymidine-labeled tumor cells in lung sections showed a similar increase in tumor cell localization after bleomycin, with labeled cells distributed equally between parenchymal and pleural areas. However, subsequent tumor growth was demonstrated microscopically to be predominantly in pleural and peribronchial areas, especially at sites of lung injury induced by bleomycin. Counts of grossly visible pleural tumors failed to demonstrate a difference between bleomycin groups and controls at 7 days whereas counts of nodules in lung sections, and quantification of lung area occupied by tumor both showed significantly greater tumor involvement in bleomycin-treated animals. As tumors became confluent, morphometric measurements demonstrated tumor growth in the lung more accurately than did nodule counts. We conclude that bleomycin-induced injury greatly enhances metastatic tumor growth and that morphometric methods are more sensitive than lung colony counts in their ability to quantify pulmonary metastases. Morphometry and autoradiography have also demonstrated that while there is a uniform distribution of arrested tumor cells in the lung initially, there is preferential development of metastatic tumors at sites of pulmonary damage, in particular at the pleura.

Transforming growth factor beta upregulates the integrin-mediated adhesion of human prostatic carcinoma cells to type I collagen.

Prostate cancer frequently metastasizes to bone, and we propose that this process may be facilitated by the adhesion of metastatic cells to bone-derived type I collagen. We examined collagen receptor function and regulation in osteotropic PC-3 human prostatic carcinoma cells. PC-3 cell adhesion to immobilized human type I collagen was promoted by Mn2+ and Mg2+ ions and was RGD-independent. Antibodies directed against beta1 or alpha2 integrin subunits inhibited adhesion to collagen by 90% and 53%, respectively, suggesting involvement of the alpha2 beta1 receptor. Anti-alpha1 or anti-alpha3 antibodies had no effect on adhesion. Flow cytometry and immunoprecipitation of [35S]methionine-labeled cells demonstrated that alpha2 beta1 was the major collagen receptor expressed by PC-3 cells. The pretreatment of PC-3 cells with transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1), a major bone-derived growth factor, caused a rapid (2 h) 2-fold increase in the de novo synthesis of alpha2 and beta1 integrin subunits, and also increased by 2- to 3-fold the adhesion and spreading of PC-3 cells on collagen. We conclude that alpha2 beta1 is the major collagen receptor employed by PC-3 cells, and that alpha2 beta1 upregulation by TGF-beta is associated with an increased adhesion and spreading on collagen. The data suggest that exposure of metastatic PC-3 cells to the high levels of TGF-beta in bone may promote their ability to adhere to bone-derived collagen, which may thereby facilitate the localization of metastatic cells in the skeleton.

Preferential growth of metastatic tumors at the pleural surface of mouse lung.

In an experimental model of lung metastasis we have observed that more metastatic tumors are located on the pleura of the lung than in the parenchyma. To study possible reasons for this differential pattern we have now related the initial distribution of injected tumor cells to the later location and growth rate of metastases in different regions of the lung in C57bl/6 mice. It was found that labeled murine fibrosarcoma cells were evenly distributed throughout the lungs 24 h after intravenous injection into controls and animals previously treated with bleomycin or by exposure to hyperoxia. These treatments, known to induce pulmonary endothelial injury, were associated with increased tumor cell localization in the lung. In all cases, using morphometric methods, we found that after 2 weeks, approximately 75 per cent of metastatic tumors were located at the pleura. By [3H]thymidine labeling in autoradiographs, pleural tumors in all experimental groups had a growth rate 14 times the growth rate of tumors located in the internal regions of the lung. In vitro, the fibrosarcoma cells proliferated more rapidly on connective tissue matrices prepared from normal pleuras than they did on matrices from the remainder of the lung. Protease digestion of these matrices indicated differences in composition with more insoluble collagen, probably type I collagen, present at the pleura. These data suggest that, in spite of the initial random distribution and localization of tumor cells in the lung, there is preferential growth of metastatic tumors at the pleura which may be related to regional differences in the composition of the extracellular matrix.

Stimulation of bone resorption results in a selective increase in the growth rate of spontaneously metastatic Walker 256 cancer cells in bone.

To test the hypothesis that bone metastasis is related to the rate of bone remodeling, we have examined the effect of enhanced bone resorption on the growth of spontaneously metastatic Walker 256 (W256) cancer cells. Bone resorption was stimulated in male Fischer rats by injecting Rice H-500 Leydig tumor cells subcutaneously. The resorptive response of the skeleton was confirmed in a pilot study by evaluating parameters of bone morphometry after 4, 7 and 10 days of tumor burden. The distal femoral epiphyses had 35 +/- 10% more osteoclast surface, 83 +/- 11% less osteoblast surface, and 46 +/- 5% less trabecular bone after 10 days of tumor burden, compared to non-tumor-bearing controls. To evaluate the effect of Leydig tumor-induced bone resorption on the growth response of W256 cells, 20 rats were injected intramuscularly with 2 x 10(7) W256 cells, and 20 rats were vehicle-injected. Two days later, 10 rats from each group were injected subcutaneously with Leydig tumor cells. Twelve days after W256/vehicle injection, rats were injected with [3H]thymidine, killed 2 h later, and their femurs, liver, lungs and kidneys were processed for histology. In rats injected with Leydig tumor cells only, enhanced bone resorption was confirmed by a 40 +/- 4% increase in serum calcium concentration, a 48 +/- 8% decrease in trabecular bone content, and a 72 +/- 15% decrease in osteoblast surface, compared with non-tumor-bearing rats. Metastatic W256 cells adjacent to trabecular bone in Leydig tumor-bearing rats had a 56 +/- 18% greater relative [3H]thymidine labeling index (TdR) than did W256 cells in the bones of non-Leydig tumor-bearing rats. The TdRs of W256 cells in the liver, lungs, and kidneys were not affected by Leydig tumor burden. In this model, enhanced bone resorption was associated with the selective growth promotion of metastatic W256 cells in bone, suggesting the existence of a bone-derived factor which is mitogenic to W256 cells.

A quantitative model for spontaneous bone metastasis: evidence for a mitogenic effect of bone on Walker 256 cancer cells.

A new model for the study of spontaneous bone metastasis has been developed which allows for the quantification of metastatic tumor burden and cancer cell growth rate, and which describes the progressive changes in bone morphology. Walker 256 (W256) cells or vehicle were injected into the left upper thigh muscle of male Fischer rats, which were killed 7, 10 or 14 days later. By day 7, metastases had appeared in the distal femur, in the glomeruli of the kidney, and diffusely throughout the liver and lungs. The extent of tumor burden in these organs increased over time. In the femur, 14 days of tumor burden was associated with a 53 +/- 10% decrease in trabecular bone content, a 61 +/- 15% increase in osteoclast surface, and a 95 +/- 10% decrease in osteoblast surface, as compared with non-tumor-bearing controls. By autoradiography, metastatic tumor cells in all organs were determined to have greater growth rates than did cells in the primary tumor. However, within the femur, W256 cells located adjacent to trabecular bone surfaces had a 33 +/- 7% greater growth rate than did W256 cells located > 50 microns from bone surfaces (P < 0.05), suggesting a mitogenic effect of bone.