Collagen matrix promotes reorganization of pancreatic endocrine cell monolayers into islet-like organoids.

To evaluate the capacity of pancreatic endocrine cells to reassociate in vitro according to the characteristic topographical pattern observed in the islets of Langerhans in situ, we cultured cells dissociated from neonatal rat pancreas within a three-dimensional collagen matrix. Cell monolayers grown on the surface of collagen gels were covered with a second layer of collagen. This induced the monolayers of endocrine cells to reorganize into smooth-contoured, three-dimensional aggregates, in which non-B cells (identified by electron microscopy and immunofluorescence) had a preferential distribution at the periphery, whereas B cells were concentrated in a central position. These results show that cultured pancreatic endocrine cells have the capacity to reassociate into islet-like organoids in vitro, and that collagen matrices may have a permissive effect on the expression of this potential.

Specialization of the macrophage plasma membrane at sites of interaction with opsonized erythrocytes.

We incubated mouse peritoneal macrophages for 3-8 min at 37 degrees C with antibody-coated sheep erythrocytes and examined regions of close interaction between the two cell types by electron microscopy. At sites of focal macrophage-erythrocyte contact we observed a distinctive specialization of the macrophage plasma membrane consisting of a prominent subplasmalemmal band of electron-dense material, approximately 25-35 nm in thickness. In many instances, this band showed a periodic substructure similar to that seen in clathrin coats. Moreover, many slender erythrocyte processes penetrated into invaginations of the macrophage surface which were bristle-coated at their blind extremity. As previously shown for clathrin-coated pits, the segments of the macrophage plasma membrane beneath which the defense material was found were selectively resistant to the membrane-perturbing effect of the antibiotic, filipin. This structural specialization of the macrophage plasma membrane at sites of ligand-receptor interaction during immune phagocytosis of antibody-coated erythrocytes may represent the morphological counterpart of the zipper mechanism of phagocytosis previously demonstrated by functional studies.

In vivo induction of tight junction proliferation in rat liver.

The chronic administration of phalloidin induces an extensive development of tight junctions between rat hepatocytes. The junctional strands lose their predominantly parallel orientation with respect to the canalicular lumen and extend abluminally in irregular patterns which cover large membrane areas at considerable distance from the bile canaliculi. These changes indicate both proliferation and provide further evidence that these junctions are not permanent differentiations of the cell membrane.

In vitro rapid organization of endothelial cells into capillary-like networks is promoted by collagen matrices.

We have studied the behavior of cloned capillary endothelial cells grown inside a three dimensional collagen matrix. Cell monolayers established on the surface of collagen gels were covered with a second layer of collagen. This induced the monolayers of endothelial cells to reorganize into a network of branching and anastomosing capillary-like tubes. As seen by electron microscopy, the tubes were formed by at least two cells (in transverse sections) delimiting a narrow lumen. In addition, distinct basal lamina material was present between the abluminal face of the endothelial cells and the collagen matrix. These results showed that capillary endothelial cells have the capacity to form vessel-like structures with well-oriented cell polarity in vitro. They also suggest that an appropriate topological relationship of endothelial cells with collagen matrices, similar to that occurring in vivo, has an inducive role on the expression of this potential. This culture system provides a simple in vitro model for studying the factors involved in the formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis).

In vivo assembly of tight junctions in fetal rat liver.

Examination of glutaraldehyde-fixed, freeze-fractured livers from 14-15-day rat fetuses provided the basis for the following observations. Membrane particles align in otherwise poorly particulated areas of the presumptive pericanalicular plasma membrane (A face), frequently forming a discontinuous "honey-comb" network joining small particle islands. Even at this early stage, contiguous B-fracture faces contain furrows, rather than rows of pits, distinguishing the linear particle aggregates on the A face as developing tight junctions rather than gap junctions. Short segments of these linear arrays merge with smooth ridges clearly identifiable as segments of discontinuous tight junctions. With the continuing confluence of particulate and smooth ridge segments, mature tight junctions become fully appreciable. We conclude that tight junctions form de novo by the alignment and fusion of separate particles into beaded ridges which, in turn, become confluent and are transformed into continuous smooth ones. At 21 days of fetal life, most of the images of assembly have disappeared, and the liver reveals well-formed bile canaliculi sealed by mature tight junctions.

Urokinase-type plasminogen activator is induced in migrating capillary endothelial cells.

Cellular migration is an essential component of invasive biological processes, many of which have been correlated with an increase in plasminogen activator production. Endothelial cell migration occurs in vivo during repair of vascular lesions and angiogenesis, and can be induced in vitro by wounding a confluent monolayer of cells. By combining the wounded monolayer model with a substrate overlay technique, we show that cells migrating from the edges of an experimental wound display an increase in urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) activity, and that this activity reverts to background levels upon cessation of movement, when the wound has closed. Our results demonstrate a direct temporal relationship between endothelial cell migration and uPA activity, and suggest that induction of uPA activity is a component of the migratory process.

Transforming growth factor-beta 1 modulates basic fibroblast growth factor-induced proteolytic and angiogenic properties of endothelial cells in vitro.

Tightly controlled proteolytic degradation of the extracellular matrix by invading microvascular endothelial cells is believed to be a necessary component of the angiogenic process. We have previously demonstrated the induction of plasminogen activators (PAs) in bovine microvascular endothelial (BME) cells by three agents that induce angiogenesis in vitro: basic FGF (bFGF), PMA, and sodium orthovanadate. Surprisingly, we find that these agents also induce plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) activity and mRNA in BME cells. We also find that transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1), which in vitro modulates a number of endothelial cell functions relevant to angiogenesis, also increases both PAI-1 and urokinase-type PA (u-PA) mRNA. Thus, production of both proteases and protease inhibitors is increased by angiogenic agents and TGF-beta 1. However, the kinetics and amplitude of PAI-1 and u-PA mRNA induction by these agents are strikingly different. We have used the ratio of u-PA:PAI-1 mRNA levels as an indicator of proteolytic balance. This ratio is tilted towards enhanced proteolysis in response to bFGF, towards antiproteolysis in response to TGF-beta 1, and is similar to that in untreated cultures when the two agents are added simultaneously. Using an in vitro angiogenesis assay in three-dimensional fibrin gels, we find that TGF-beta 1 inhibits the bFGF-induced formation of tube-like structures, resulting in the formation of solid endothelial cell cords within the superficial parts of the gel. These results suggest that a net positive proteolytic balance is required for capillary lumen formation. A novel perspective is provided on the relationship between extracellular matrix invasion, lumen formation, and net proteolytic balance, thereby reflecting the interplay between angiogenesis-modulating cytokines such as bFGF and TGF-beta 1.

Leukocyte interleukins induce cultured endothelial cells to produce a highly organized, glycosaminoglycan-rich pericellular matrix.

We report here that interleukins have a dramatic effect on extracellular matrix production by cultured endothelial cells. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells incubated with growth media conditioned by lectin-activated human peripheral blood mononuclear leukocytes undergo marked changes in cell shape and elaborate a highly organized extracellular material that is not detectable in untreated cultures. This material has the following characteristics: (a) it is not recognizable by electron microscopy unless the cationic dye, Alcian blue, is added to the fixative; (b) it is visualized as a network of branching and anastomosing fibrils of various thickness that can be resolved into bundles of fine filaments; (c) it is associated with the cell surface, extends between contiguous cells, and coats the culture substrate; (d) it is removed by digestion with glycosaminoglycan-degrading enzymes, such as crude heparinase and chondroitinase ABC. These results demonstrate that soluble factors released by activated peripheral blood mononuclear leukocytes (interleukins) stimulate cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells to produce a highly structured pericellular matrix containing glycosaminoglycans (probably chondroitin sulfate and/or hyaluronic acid) as a major constituent. We speculate that this phenomenon corresponds to an early step of angiogenesis as observed in vivo as a consequence of interleukin release.

Endothelial diaphragmed fenestrae: in vitro modulation by phorbol myristate acetate.

Cultured microvascular endothelial cells isolated from fenestrated capillaries have been shown to express many properties of their in vivo differentiated phenotype, yet they contain very few diaphragmed fenestrae. We show here that treatment of capillary endothelial cells with the tumor promoter, 4 beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, induces more than a fivefold increase in the frequency of fenestrae per micron 2 of cell surface, as determined from a quantitative evaluation on freeze-fracture replicas. In quick-frozen, deep-etched preparations, the endothelial fenestrae appeared to be bridged by a diaphragm composed of radial fibers interweaving in a central mesh, as previously observed in vivo. These results indicate that diaphragmed fenestrae are inducible structures, and provide an opportunity to study them in vitro.

In vitro repression of Brca1-associated RING domain gene, Bard1, induces phenotypic changes in mammary epithelial cells.

BRCA1-associated RING domain (BARD1) was identified as a protein interacting with the breast cancer gene product BRCA1. The identification of tumorigenic missense mutations within BRCA1 that impair the formation of BARD1-BRCA1 complexes, and of BARD1 mutations in breast carcinomas, sustain the view that BARD1 is involved in BRCA1-mediated tumor suppression. We have cloned the murine Bard1 gene and determined that its expression in different tissues correlates with the expression profile of Brca1. To investigate the function of Bard1, we have reduced Bard1 gene expression in TAC-2 cells, a murine mammary epithelial cell line that retains morphogenetic properties characteristic of normal breast epithelium. Partial repression of Bard1, achieved by the transfection of TAC-2 cells with plasmids constitutively expressing ribozymes or antisense RNAs, resulted in marked phenotypic changes, consisting of altered cell shape, increased cell size, high frequency of multinucleated cells, and aberrant cell cycle progression. Furthermore, Bard1-repressed cell clones overcame contact inhibition of cell proliferation when grown in monolayer cultures and lost the capacity to form luminal structures in three-dimensional collagen gels. These results demonstrate that Bard1 repression induces complex changes in mammary epithelial cell properties which are suggestive of a premalignant phenotype.

Junctional communication is induced in migrating capillary endothelial cells.

Using an in vitro model in which a confluent monolayer of capillary endothelial cells is mechanically wounded, gap junction-mediated intercellular communication has been studied by loading the cells with the fluorescent dye, Lucifer Yellow. Approximately 40-50% of the cells in a nonwounded confluent monolayer were coupled in groups of four to five cells (basal level). Basal levels of communication were also observed in sparse and preconfluent cultures, but were reduced in postconfluent monolayers. 30 min after wounding, coupling was markedly reduced between cells lining the wound. Communication at the wound was partially reestablished by 2 h, exceeded basal levels after 6 h and reached a maximum after 24 h, at which stage approximately 90% of the cells were coupled in groups of six to seven cells. When the wound had closed (after 8 d), the increase in communication was no longer observed. Induction of wound-associated communication was unaffected by exposure of the cells to the DNA synthesis inhibitor mitomycin C, but was prevented by the protein synthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide. The induction of wound-associated communication was also inhibited when migration was prevented by placing the cells immediately after wounding at 22 degrees C or after exposure to cytochalasin D, suggesting that the increase in communication is dependent on cells migrating into the wound area. In contrast, migration was not prevented when coupling was blocked by exposure of the cells to retinoic acid, although this agent did disrupt the characteristic sheet-like pattern of migration typically seen during endothelial repair. These results suggest that junctional communication may play an important role in wound repair, possibly by coordinating capillary endothelial cell migration.

Upregulation of urokinase receptor expression on migrating endothelial cells.

One of the phenotypic hallmarks of migrating endothelial cells, both in vivo and in vitro, is expression of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA), a key mediator of extracellular proteolysis. In the study reported here, we have used an in vitro model of endothelial cell migration to explore the mechanism of this phenomenon. We have found that wounding of an endothelial cell monolayer triggers a marked, rapid and sustained increase in expression of a specific high-affinity receptor for u-PA (u-PAr) on the surface of migrating cells. Migrating cells displayed an increase in the levels of u-PA and u-PAr mRNAs, and this increase was mediated by endogenous basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). We also show that the increase in u-PA activity on migrating cells can be accounted for by an increase in receptor-bound u-PA, and that the increase in activity is also dependent on endogenous bFGF. These results demonstrate that the expression of plasmin-mediated proteolytic activity by migrating endothelial cells is a consequence of increased production of both u-PA and its receptor, and that this in turn is mediated by endogenous bFGF. This suggests that u-PA, produced at increased levels by migrating cells, binds to u-PAr whose expression is upregulated on the same cells. These observations are in accord with the postulated role of u-PAr in mediating efficient and spatially restricted extracellular proteolysis, particularly in the context of cell migration.

Polyoma middle T-induced vascular tumor formation: the role of the plasminogen activator/plasmin system.

The middle T antigen of murine Polyomavirus (PymT) rapidly transforms endothelial cells, leading to the formation of vascular tumors in newborn mice. Transformed endothelial (End.) cell lines established from such tumors exhibit altered proteolytic activity as a result of increased expression of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and are capable of inducing vascular tumors efficiently when injected into adult mice. In this study we have used mice lacking components of the PA/plasmin system to analyze the role of this system in the transformation process and in tumor growth. We found that the proteolytic status of the host is not a critical determinant for PymT-induced vascular tumor formation. In addition, the lack of either uPA or tissue-type PA (tPA) activity is not limiting for the establishment and proliferation of End. cells in vitro, although the combined loss of both PA activities leads to a marked reduction in proliferation rates. Furthermore, the in vitro morphogenetic properties of mutant End. cells in fibrin gels could only be correlated with an altered proteolytic status in cells lacking both uPA and tPA. However, in contrast with tumors induced by PymT itself, the tumorigenic potential of mutant and wild-type End. cell lines was found to be highly dependent on the proteolytic status of both the tumor cells and the host. Thus, genetic alterations in the PA/plasmin system affect vascular tumor development, indicating that this system is a causal component in PymTmediated oncogenesis.

Opposite polarity of filipin-induced deformations in the membrane of condensing vacuoles and zymogen granules.

Filipin binding to membrane sterols induces deformations of the membrane that are detected by freeze-fracture either as 20- to 25-nanometer protuberances or as pits on the fracture faces. By using the filipin probe in pancreatic acinar cells, it was found that the polarity of filipin-induced deformations in the membrane limiting the Golgi condensing vacuoles is opposite that in the membrane limiting the mature zymogen granules. This asymmetry could be due to unequal partitioning of cholesterol between the membrane leaflets in these two compartments during the transformation of the condensing vacuole into the zymogen granule.

Hepatocellular carcinoma: from gene to public health.

Liver diseases associated with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, including hepatocellular carcinoma, account for more than 1 million deaths annually worldwide. In addition to HBV infection, other risk factors are involved in the etiology of hepatocellular carcinoma and, among these, dietary exposure to the carcinogenic aflatoxins is of particular importance in certain regions of southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. The relative contributions of these two risk factors and the mechanism of the interaction between them in the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma are still poorly understood. The recently developed individual biochemical and molecular markers of aflatoxin exposure, i.e., aflatoxin-albumin adducts in blood and a specific GC to TA transversion mutation in codon 249 of the p53 gene (249ser p53 mutation) in hepatocellular carcinomas, permit a better quantitative estimation of aflatoxin exposure in different populations of the world. A comprehensive summary of the data from our laboratory and the literature, based on a large number (>1000) of individual cases of hepatocellular carcinoma, is presented here and shows the following: 1) A high level and high prevalence of exposure to aflatoxins occur in West Africa, Mozambique, and some regions of China; 2) a high prevalence of the 249ser p53 mutation is detected in these countries; and 3) hepatocellular carcinomas from countries with low or no exposure to aflatoxins show a very low prevalence of the 249ser p53 mutation and distinctly different p53 mutation spectra, probably indicating different etiologies. Experimental and epidemiologic studies demonstrate an interaction between HBV infection and aflatoxins in hepatocarcinogenesis. The relevance of the biochemical/molecular markers of aflatoxin exposure, HBV vaccination, and the reduction of aflatoxin exposure, in addition to the interaction between HBV infection and other risk factors in liver carcinogenesis, are discussed with regard to the implementation of measures for primary prevention.

Detection of aflatoxins and related metabolites by radioimmunoassay.

Rabbit (outbred albino New Zealand White) antisera have been raised against aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) using as immunogen conjugates in which the hapten was coupled to bovine serum albumin (BSA) either through C1 or C8 with the oxime and the dichloride derivatives of AFB1 as intermediates. Radioimmunoassay (RIA), with [3H]AFB1 as tracer, showed that the antiserum prepared with the conjugate in which BSA was coupled to the AFB1 oxime derivative was highly specific to AFB1, whereas the antiserum raised against the conjugate in which BSA was coupled to AFB1 through the AFB1Cl2 derivative (C-antiserum) cross-reacted to a large extent with other aflatoxins, including aflatoxin M1, an important urinary metabolite of AFB1 in several species including humans. AFB1-related metabolites in the urine of inbred BD IV adult male rats given AFB1 orally at doses from 600 pmol to 385 nmol can easily be followed over 9 days by RIA in which the "cross-reactive" C-antiserum is used. This suggests that similar methodologies could be used for the monitoring of human exposure to AFB1.

Ser-249 p53 mutations in plasma DNA of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma from The Gambia.

BACKGROUND: A selective mutation, an arginine-to-serine substitution in codon 249, of the p53 gene has been identified as a "hotspot" mutation in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This mutation occurs in populations that are exposed to aflatoxins and have a high prevalence of hepatitis B virus carriers. We evaluated whether this mutation could be detected in cell-free DNA isolated from the plasma of subjects from The Gambia to detect this mutation that is strongly associated with HCC. METHODS: Fifty-three patients with HCC, 13 patients with cirrhosis, and 53 control subjects were prospectively recruited from The Gambia. Sixty patients, of non-African origin, with various liver pathologies were also selected from France. DNA was extracted and purified from 200-microL aliquots of plasma. The Ser-249 p53 mutation was detected by restriction endonuclease digestion of polymerase chain reaction products from exon 7 and was confirmed by direct sequencing of the amplified DNA. RESULTS: The Ser-249 p53 mutation was detected in plasma DNA from 19 (36%) of the 53 patients with HCC, two (15%) of the 13 patients with cirrhosis, and three (6%) of the 53 control subjects. This mutation was not detected in any plasma DNA from the European patients. The adjusted odds ratio for having the mutation was 16.4 (95% confidence interval = 3.0-90.5) for patients with HCC compared with the control subjects. CONCLUSION: The Ser-249 p53 mutation in plasma DNA is strongly associated with HCC in Gambian patients. This mutation was also detected at a much lower prevalence in plasma DNA from Gambian patients with cirrhosis and in Gambian control subjects, findings that may lead to the earlier detection of HCC. Use of the Ser-249 p53 mutation should facilitate further molecular epidemiologic studies on the development of HCC.

Test for malignant transformation of rat liver cells in culture: cytology, growth in soft agar, and production of plasminogen activator.

Three parameters were evaluated as diagnostic of the malignant potential of cultured rat liver epithelial cells: cytology, growth in soft agar, and production of extracellular plasminogen activator. A total of 22 tumorigenic and nontumorigenic cultures from 15 cell lines were sent coded from their originators to two different laboratories for the evaluation of these three parameters. Cytologic diagnosis and growth in soft agar were reliable means of determining the malignant potential of the cultured cells. However, the production of extracellular plasminogen activator showed little correlation with tumorigenicity. Of cytologic properties evaluated, the two that correlated best with malignant potential were increased cytoplasmic basophilia and and increased nuclear:cytoplasmic ratio.

Legislation concerning chemical carcinogens in several industrialized countries.

A survey was carried out on legislation in 14 industrialized countries relating to the prevention of occupational cancers. Two types of legislation were considered in particular: that dealing specifically with chemical carcinogens in the working environment, and that relating to compensation for occupational cancers. The survey revealed that legislation prohibiting the manufacture of chemicals known to be carcinogenic in humans or known to represent a possible cancer hazard to humans exists only in a limited number of the 14 countries considered and does not cover the same chemicals in each country. Legislation concerning monetary compensation is more common in these countreis than is legislation providing for primary prevention. There are two fundamental deficiencies in even the more comprehensive legislation. First, some chemicals for which carcinogenicity in humans has been proved are still produced in large quantities and are not covered by legislation. Second, the criteria used to determine which chemicals may be hazardous to humans when only experimental evidence of carcinogenicity exists are overexclusive, while the allowed concentrations of some of the chemicals recognized as possibly hazardous to humans appear to be very high.

In vitro metabolism and microsome-mediated mutagenicity of dialkylnitrosamines in rat, hamster, and mouse tissues.

Rates of conversion of 14C-labeled dimethyl-and diethylnitrosamine by rat and hamster tissue slices to 14CO2 and/or into mutagenic reactants were measured using Salmonella typhimurium G-46 r TA 1530 and fortified tissue fractions in vitro. A correlation between the CO2 production from dimethyl- or diethylnitrosamine in liver or lung and the organ distribution of induced tumors in vivo was observed. As an exception, hamster lung, which is a major target organ in diethylnitrosamine carcinogenesis, did not convert this nitrosamine into metabolites mutagenic for S. typhimurium TA 1530 although the 14CO2 production in vitro was even higher than in hamster liver. The effect of pretreating rats, hamsters, and mice with phenobarbitone on the mutation frequency produced by dimethyl-or diethylnitrosamine in in vitro assays was determined. The relationship between the site of metabolic activation, mutagenicity, and carcinogenicity of the dialkylnitrosamines and the effect of enzyme inducers are discussed.