RESUMEN
Hypoxia and extracellular acidosis are common features of solid malignant tumors. The aim of the study was to analyze whether these pathophysiological parameters affect the expression of inflammatory mediators in tumor cells. Therefore the mRNA expression of MCP-1 (monocyte chemotactic protein 1), iNOS and osteopontin was measured under hypoxic (pO2 1 mmHg) and acidotic (pH 6.6) conditions by qPCR in AT1 R-3327 prostate cancer cells. In addition, the underlying signaling cascades were analyzed by using inhibitors of the p38 and ERK1/2 MAP kinase pathways.Hypoxia led to a significant decrease of the expression of MCP-1 and osteopontin over the complete observation period of 24 h, whereas the iNOS expression after an initial reduction slightly increased. Acidotic conditions for up to 6 h increased the iNOS expression significantly which was functional as indicated by an elevated level of nitrate/nitrite formation by 30 %. Acidosis had almost no impact on the MCP-1 expression of tumor cells, whereas the osteopontin level tended to increase leading to a significantly elevated level after 24 h at pH 6.6. Inhibiting the p38 and ERK1/2 under control conditions revealed that the MAPKs play a significant role for the regulation of the expression of inflammatory mediators. MCP-1 expression could be lowered by inhibiting ERK1/2 whereas iNOS expression was dependent on both p38 and ERK1/2 MAPK. These results indicate that the adverse tumor microenvironment affects the expression of inflammatory mediators by tumors cells and may therefore modulate the immune response within the tumor tissue.
Asunto(s)
Mediadores de Inflamación/metabolismo , Neoplasias de la Próstata/metabolismo , Hipoxia Tumoral , Microambiente Tumoral , Animales , Línea Celular , Quimiocina CCL2/genética , Quimiocina CCL2/metabolismo , Regulación Neoplásica de la Expresión Génica , Concentración de Iones de Hidrógeno , Masculino , Proteína Quinasa 1 Activada por Mitógenos/metabolismo , Proteína Quinasa 3 Activada por Mitógenos/metabolismo , Óxido Nítrico Sintasa de Tipo II/genética , Óxido Nítrico Sintasa de Tipo II/metabolismo , Osteopontina/genética , Osteopontina/metabolismo , Oxígeno/metabolismo , Neoplasias de la Próstata/genética , Neoplasias de la Próstata/patología , Ratas , Factores de Tiempo , Proteínas Quinasas p38 Activadas por Mitógenos/metabolismoRESUMEN
The tissue micromilieu in disorders (inflammation, ischemia, tumor) often shows pronounced metabolic acidosis that may alter signaling and transcriptional activity in resident cells which can be of special importance for omnipresent fibroblasts. In the present study we investigated the impact of metabolic acidosis on rat fibroblasts with special emphasis on their role in inflammation by regulation of TNF-α, MCP-1, COX-2 and iNOS expression and the signaling pathways involved. Extracellular acidosis led to an enhanced expression of TNF-α, COX-2 and iNOS in parallel to an activation of p38 and ERK1/2 kinases that was not observed by sole intracellular acidosis. Accordingly, the protein amounts of TNF-α and COX-2 as well as the production of nitrate and nitrite were elevated. Acidosis-induced expression of COX-2 and iNOS depended on p38 kinase, but not on ERK1/2. In contrast acidosis-induced TNF-α expression was independent of both kinases. Although GPR4, GPR68 and GPR132 are expressed in fibroblasts, the involvement of these potential candidate pH sensors could be ruled out since no acidosis-induced elevation in intracellular cAMP or free calcium content was observed. Furthermore our data show that MAPK activation by an acidic micromilieu depends on Ser/Thr phosphatase activity, but not on the production of reactive oxygen species and is sensitive to cAMP antagonism by Rp-cAMPS. In conclusion, our results show that an acidic microenvironment induces a differential transcriptional program of pathological relevant genes in fibroblasts via the cAMP-phosphatase-MAPK pathway and thereby generates a parainflammatory situation that can result in tissue remodeling.