The follicular thyroid cell line PCCL3 responds differently to laminin and to polylaminin, a polymer of laminin assembled in acidic pH.

The extracellular-matrix protein laminin forms polymers both in vivo and in vitro. Acidification of pH leads to the formation of an artificial polymer with biomimetic properties, named polylaminin (polyLM). Follicle cells in the thyroid are in close contact with laminin, but their response to this important extracellular signal is still poorly understood. PCCL3 thyroid follicular cells cultured on glass, on regular laminin (LM) or on laminin previously polymerized in acidic pH (polyLM) showed different cell morphologies and propensities to proliferate, as well as differences in the organization of their actin cytoskeleton. On polyLM, cells displayed a typical epithelial morphology and radially organized actin fibers; whereas on LM, they spread irregularly on the substrate, lost cell contacts, and developed thick actin fibers extending through the entire cytoplasm. Iodide uptake decreased similarly in response to both laminin substrates, in comparison to glass. On both the LM and polyLM substrates, the expression of the sodium iodide symporter (NIS) decreased slightly but not significantly. NIS showed dotted immunostaining at the plasma membrane in the cells cultured on glass; on polyLM, NIS was observed mainly in the perinuclear region, and more diffusely throughout the cytoplasm on the LM substrate. Additionally, polyLM specifically favored the maintenance of cell polarity in culture. These findings indicate that PCCL3 cells can discriminate between LM and polyLM and that they respond to the latter by better preserving the phenotype observed in the thyroid tissue.

The Wnt signaling pathway regulates Nalm-16 b-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemic cell line survival and etoposide resistance.

B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) is the most common malignancy in children. The Wnt signaling pathway has been found to be extensively involved in cancer onset and progression but its role in BCP-ALL remains controversial. We evaluate the role of the Wnt pathway in maintenance of BCP-ALL cells and resistance to chemotherapy. Gene expression profile revealed that BCP-ALL cells are potentially sensitive to modulation of Wnt pathway. Nalm-16 and Nalm-6 cell lines displayed low levels of canonical activation, as reflected by the virtually complete absence of total beta-catenin in Nalm-6 and the beta-catenin cell membrane distribution in Nalm-16 cell line. Canonical activation with Wnt3a induced nuclear beta-catenin translocation and led to BCP-ALL cell death. Lithium chloride (LiCl) also induced a cytotoxic effect on leukemic cells. In contrast, both Wnt5a and Dkk-1 increased Nalm-16 cell survival. Also, Wnt3a enhanced the in vitro sensitivity of Nalm-16 to etoposide (VP-16) while treatment with canonical antagonists protected leukemic cells from chemotherapy-induced cell death. Overall, our results suggest that canonical activation of the Wnt pathway may exerts a tumor suppressive effect, thus its inhibition may support BCP-ALL cell survival.