Overexpression of transforming growth factor alpha in psoriatic epidermis.

Transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-alpha) is produced by and required for the growth of epithelial cells and is angiogenic in vivo. Since epidermal hyperplasia and angiogenesis are hallmarks of psoriasis, TGF-alpha gene expression was analyzed in epidermal biopsies of normal and psoriatic skin. TGF-alpha messenger RNA and protein are much more abundant in lesional psoriatic epidermis than in normal-appearing skin of psoriatic patients or in normal epidermis. In contrast, messenger RNA levels of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta 1), which inhibits epithelial cell growth, are not significantly different in normal, uninvolved, and lesional psoriatic epidermis. Thus, psoriatic epidermal hyperplasia may involve increased expression of a keratinocyte mitogen (TGF-alpha) rather than deficient expression of a growth inhibitor (TGF-beta 1).

Cultured human lymphocytes proliferate faster in medium lacking fetal calf serum and antibiotics.

When human whole blood was cultured in medium containing neither fetal calf serum nor antibiotics, more peripheral lymphocytes initiated DNA synthesis at about 24 h of culture than did lymphocytes in blood cultured in complete medium. Furthermore, the cells proliferated faster, so that by 48 h in culture approximately 20% of the metaphase cells in medium lacking fetal calf serum and antibiotics were in their second division. Such rapid cell proliferation can affect quantitative studies of chromosome aberrations, which should be observed in their first mitosis in culture, before cell death can cause a diminution in aberration yields. The rapid appearance of second-division metaphases should also be advantageous for the measurement of sister-chromatid exchanges (SCEs), which require two cell divisions for their observation. In contrast to cultures with complete medium, cells grown without fetal calf serum and antibiotics had fewer SCEs in second-division cells that divided later in the culture period.

Different transforming growth factor-alpha species are derived from a glycosylated and palmitoylated transmembrane precursor.

cDNA analysis has revealed that the 50 amino acid transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) is derived from a 160 amino acid precursor. Antibodies to TGF-alpha and to a C-terminal portion of the precursor were used to study the biosynthesis and processing of the precursor. CHO cells transfected with a TGF-alpha expression vector secrete high levels of TGF-alpha; a mixture of species of about 18 kd is secreted in addition to the 50 amino acid form. These larger species are N-glycosylated and are derived from the same precursor as the smaller form. The C-terminal segment of the precursor remains anchored in the membrane and has covalently attached palmitate. The newly synthesized TGF-alpha precursor is thus a transmembrane protein that subsequently undergoes external proteolytic cleavages, releasing several TGF-alpha species.

Expression in rat fibroblasts of a human transforming growth factor-alpha cDNA results in transformation.

Acquisition of the ability to produce and respond to a growth factor may result in increased cellular proliferation and could lead to malignant transformation. The fact that a large variety of tumor cells secrete transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) suggests involvement of TGF-alpha in cellular transformation and provides supporting evidence for the autocrine stimulation model. In order to determine directly the role of TGF-alpha in tumorigenicity, we introduced a human TGF-alpha cDNA expression vector into established nontransformed Fischer rat fibroblast (Rat-1) cells. Synthesis and secretion of human TGF-alpha by these cells results in the loss of anchorage-dependent growth and induces tumor formation in nude mice. Anti-human TGF-alpha monoclonal antibodies prevent TGF-alpha expressing Rat-1 cells from forming colonies in soft agar.

Transmembrane TGF-alpha precursors activate EGF/TGF-alpha receptors.

TGF-alpha and EGF are structurally related factors that bind to and induce tyrosine autophosphorylation of a common receptor. Proteolytic cleavage of the transmembrane TGF-alpha precursor's external domain releases several TGF-alpha species. However, membrane-bound TGF-alpha forms remain on the surface of TGF-alpha-expressing cell lines. To evaluate the biological activity of these forms, we modified two cleavage sites in the TGF-alpha precursor coding sequence, making processing into the 50 amino acid TGF-alpha impossible. Overexpression of this cDNA in a receptor-negative cell line, partial purification, and N-terminal sequence analysis indicate the existence of two transmembrane TGF-alpha forms. These solubilized precursors induce tyrosine autophosphorylation of the EGF/TGF-alpha receptor in intact receptor-overexpressing cells, and anchorage-independent growth of NRK fibroblasts. Cell-cell contact between TGF-alpha precursor-overexpressing cells and cells expressing high numbers of receptors also resulted in receptor activation. These findings suggest a role for transmembrane TGF-alpha forms in intercellular interactions in proliferating tissues.

Induction of transforming growth factor-alpha expression in human keratinocytes by phorbol esters.

Exposure of cultured human epidermal keratinocytes to the protein kinase C (Ca2+- and phospholipid-dependent protein kinase)-activating phorbol esters 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) or 4-beta-phorbol-12,13-didecanoate markedly enhanced accumulation of transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) mRNA and secretion of TGF-alpha protein. The nonactivating phorbol ester, 4-alpha-phorbol 12,13-didecanoate, had no effect. In the absence of exogenous growth factors, confluent cultures of keratinocytes express low or undetectable levels of TGF-alpha mRNA and protein. While TPA and epidermal growth factor treatment of keratinocyte cultures deprived of growth factors both induced TGF-alpha mRNA expression, maximum induction by TPA is 5-fold greater than epidermal growth factor. Furthermore, the addition of epidermal growth factor did not enhance TPA-mediated induction of TGF-alpha mRNA expression. Under these experimental conditions, TPA increased levels of secreted TGF-alpha protein by 20-fold at 24 h. Concentration dependence and kinetic studies of TGF-alpha expression showed that TPA (greater than or equal to 1 ng/ml) induced accumulation of TGF-alpha mRNA with an optimum concentration of 10 ng/ml. TGF-alpha mRNA expression increased within 1 h following TPA treatment (10 ng/ml) and peaked at 5 h. At 24 h, TPA-treated cultures still expressed elevated levels of TGF-alpha mRNA (1.7-fold). Protein secretion into the medium was enhanced 2-fold (5 h) to 3-fold (24 h) by TPA treatment of keratinocyte cultures containing growth factors. Prolonged pretreatment (24 h) of keratinocyte cultures with TPA caused marked desensitization of TGF-alpha mRNA expression to repeated stimulation by phorbol ester. The synthetic diacylglycerol, 1,2-sn-dioctanoylglycerol, enhanced levels of TGF-alpha transcription and secretion of TGF-alpha protein. The rate of TGF-alpha mRNA accumulation peaked and declined earlier for 1,2-sn-dioctanoylglycerol compared to TPA. 1,2-sn-Dioctanoylglycerol (50 micrograms/ml) increased production and secretion of TGF-alpha protein, but less than TPA treatment. An inhibitor of protein kinase C, 1-(5-isoquinolinylsulfonyl)-2-methylpiperazine, also inhibited 1,2-sn-dioctanoylglycerol-mediated accumulation of TGF-alpha mRNA. Cycloheximide failed to inhibit TGF-alpha mRNA expression induced by TPA and, when added alone to keratinocyte cultures, significantly enhanced TGF-alpha mRNA accumulation. Actinomycin D abrogated transcriptional activation of TGF-alpha mRNA by TPA. These studies suggest that activation of protein kinase C by active phorbol esters or diacylglycerols is responsible, at least in part, for TGF-alpha gene expression.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

A new type of transforming growth factor-beta, TGF-beta 3.

A new type of TGF-beta, TGF-beta 3, has been identified by cDNA characterization. The amino acid sequence of mature TGF-beta 3 and its precursor has been derived from porcine and human cDNA sequences. The human TGF-beta 3 gene is spread over seven exons as in the case of the TGF-beta 1 gene. Comparison with TGF-beta 1 and -beta 2 indicates a strong conservation of the mature sequences, but a relaxed homology in the precursor segments. TGF-beta 3 mRNA is mainly expressed in cell lines from mesenchymal origin, suggesting a biological role different from the other TGFs-beta.

Vgr-1, a mammalian gene related to Xenopus Vg-1, is a member of the transforming growth factor beta gene superfamily.

The transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta)-related products of the Xenopus Vg-1 and Drosophila decapentaplegic (DPP) genes have been implicated in the control of growth and differentiation during embryogenesis. We have isolated a mouse cDNA, Vgr-1, that encodes a polypeptide structurally related to Xenopus Vg-1. Sequence comparisons indicate that the Vgr-1 protein belongs to a family of DPP-like gene products within the TGF-beta superfamily. The levels of Vgr-1 RNA were determined in embryos and tissues isolated at various stages of development. A 3.5-kilobase mRNA increases throughout development and into adulthood in many tissues and in F9 teratocarcinoma cells differentiating into endoderm in response to retinoic acid and cAMP. The amino acid homologies and patterns of expression suggest that, like the DPP gene product, Vgr-1 plays a role at various stages of development.