A non-invasive, in vivo technique for monitoring vascular status of glioblastoma during angiogenesis.

The growth of solid tumors dependent on the process of angiogenesis in which growth factors secreted by tumor and stromal cells promote endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and maturation. This process generates a tumor-specific vascular supply and enables small or dormant tumors to grow rapidly with exponential increases in tumor volume. Determination of tumor oxygenation at the microvascular level will provide important insight into tumor growth, angiogenesis, necrosis, and therapeutic response, and will facilitate to develop protocols for studying tumor behavior. A non-invasive multi-modality approach based on near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technique, namely: Steady State Diffuse Optical Spectroscopy (SSDOS) along with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is applied for monitoring the concentration of oxyhemoglobin, deoxyhemoglobin and water within tumor region and for studying the vascular status of tumor and the patho-physiological changes that occur during angiogenesis. Since, the growth of solid tumors depends on the formation of new blood vessels, an association between intramural microvessel density (MVD) and tumor oxygenation is also investigated. The relative decrease in oxygenation value with tumor growth indicates that though blood vessels infiltrate and proliferate the tumor region, a hypoxic trend is clearly present.

Time course of bioluminescent signal in orthotopic and heterotopic brain tumors in nude mice.

In vivo bioluminescence imaging is becoming increasingly popular. Quantification of bioluminescence signals requires knowledge of the variability and reproducibility of this technique. The objective of this study was to analyze the time course of luminescent signal emitted from firefly luciferase-expressing tumors in two locations, following luciferin injection and at different times after tumor cell implantation. Knowledge of the kinetics of the bioluminescent signals is required for the reliable quantification and comparison of signal during longitudinal studies. The kinetics of bioluminescence was evaluated in orthotopic and heterotopic brain tumors in mice using a human brain tumor cell line constitutively expressing luciferase. Tumor cells were implanted in the brains and flanks of the animals, and whole-body images revealing tumor location were obtained. Tumor burden was monitored over time by the quantitation of photon emission. The magnitude of bioluminescence measured in vivo varied with time after the injection of luciferin, as well as with dose, which necessitated that the comparison of the quantitative results take into consideration the time after injection. Heterotopic and orthotopic tumors exhibited significantly different time courses; however, time after implantation as characterized by kinetic studies performed on days 4 and 14 after cell implantation revealed no significant differences in orthotopic tumors. Future quantitative longitudinal studies must take into account the differences in the kinetics of different models.

Soluble interleukin 6 receptor (sIL-6R) mediates colonic tumor cell adherence to the vascular endothelium: a mechanism for metastatic initiation?

The mechanisms by which surgery increases metastatic proliferation remain poorly characterized, although endotoxin and immunocytes play a role. Recent evidence suggests that endothelial adherence of tumor cells may be important in the formation of metastases. Soluble receptors of interleukin-6 (sIL-6R) shed by activated neutrophils exert IL-6 effects on endothelial cells, which are unresponsive under normal circumstances. This study examined the hypothesis that sIL-6R released by surgical stress increases tumor cell adherence to the endothelium. Neutrophils (PMN) were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide, C-reactive protein (CRP), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. Soluble IL-6R release was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Colonic tumor cells transfected with green fluorescent protein and endothelial cells were exposed to sIL-6R, and tumor cell adherence and transmigration were measured by fluorescence microscopy. Basal release of sIL-6R from PMN was 44.7 +/- 8.2 pg/ml at 60 min. This was significantly increased by endotoxin and CRP (131 +/- 16.8 and 84.1 +/- 5.3, respectively; both P < 0.05). However, tumor necrosis factor-alpha did not significantly alter sIL-6R release. Endothelial and tumor cell exposure to sIL-6R increased tumor cell adherence by 71.3% within 2 h but did not significantly increase transmigration, even at 6 h. Mediators of surgical stress induce neutrophil release of a soluble receptor for IL-6 that enhances colon cancer cell endothelial adherence. Since adherence to the endothelium is now considered to be a key event in metastatic genesis, these findings have important implications for colon cancer treatment strategies.

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 promotes angiogenesis by stimulating endothelial cell migration toward fibronectin.

Increased expression of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) in cancer patients is associated with unfavorable outcome, and the reason for this paradox has been poorly understood. We have previously reported elevated levels of PAI-1 in primary tumors of advanced neuroblastomas (Y. Sugiura et al., Cancer Res., 59: 1327-1336, 1999). Here we demonstrate that PAI-1 is coexpressed with the angiogenesis marker alpha(v)beta3 integrin in blood vessels of primary neuroblastoma tumors, suggesting that PAI-1 plays a role in angiogenesis. Using human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs), we found that PAI-1 inhibits alpha(v)beta3 integrin-mediated cell adhesion to vitronectin but promotes alpha5beta1-mediated migration from vitronectin toward fibronectin. Inhibition of vitronectin adhesion by PAI-1 did not induce HBMEC apoptosis. PAI-1 also inhibited endothelial tube formation on Matrigel in the presence of vitronectin but had a stimulatory effect in the presence of fibronectin. This effect of PAI-1 on microvascular endothelial cells is primarily related to the ability of PAI-1 to bind to vitronectin via its NH2-terminal domain and to interfere with cell adhesion to vitronectin. We propose that PAI-1 acts as a positive switch for angiogenesis by promoting endothelial cell migration away from their vitronectin-containing perivascular space toward fibronectin-rich tumor tissue. These observations provide a novel explanation for the enhancing effect of PAI-1 in cancer progression.

Tumor cell adhesion to endothelial cells is increased by endotoxin via an upregulation of beta-1 integrin expression.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have demonstrated that metastatic disease develops from tumor cells that adhere to endothelial cells and proliferate intravascularly. The beta-1 integrin family and its ligand laminin have been shown to be important in tumor-to-endothelial cell adhesion. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) has been implicated in the increased metastatic tumor growth that is seen postoperatively. We postulated that LPS increases tumor cell expression of beta-1 integrins and that this leads to increased adhesion. METHODS: The human metastatic colon cancer cell line LS174T was labeled with an enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) using retroviral transfection. Cell cultures were treated with LPS for 1, 2, and 4 h (n = 6 each) and were subsequently cocultured for 30 or 120 min with confluent human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), to allow adherence. Adherent tumor cells were counted using fluorescence microscopy. These experiments were carried out in the presence or absence of a functional blocking beta-1 integrin monoclonal antibody (4B4). Expression of beta-1 integrin and laminin on tumor and HUVECs was assessed using flow cytometric analysis. Tumor cell NF-kappaB activation after incubation with LPS was measured. RESULTS: Tumor cell and HUVEC beta-1 integrin expression and HUVEC expression of laminin were significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced after incubation with LPS. Tumor cell adhesion to HUVECs was significantly increased. Addition of the beta-1 integrin blocking antibody reduced tumor cell adhesion to control levels. LPS increased tumor cell NF-kappaB activation. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to LPS increases tumor cell adhesion to the endothelium through a beta-1 integrin-mediated pathway that is NF-kappaB dependent. This may provide a target for immunotherapy directed at reducing postoperative metastatic tumor growth.

Preferential susceptibility of brain tumors to the antiangiogenic effects of an alpha(v) integrin antagonist.

OBJECTIVE: Brain tumors are highly angiogenic, and their growth and spread depend on the generation of new blood vessels. We examined the effect of the cyclic peptide antagonist pentapeptide EMD 121974, an antiangiogenic agent, on orthotopic and heterotopic brain tumor growth. METHODS: The human brain tumor cell lines DAOY (medulloblastoma) and U87 MG (glioblastoma) were injected into either the forebrain (orthotopic) or the subcutis (heterotopic) of nude mice, and daily systemic treatment with the active peptide was initiated after tumors were established. RESULTS: All control animals with orthotopic brain tumors and that received the inactive peptide EMD 135981 daily died as a result of tumor progression within 4 to 6 weeks; tumors measured 3 to 5 mm in diameter. In contrast, mice with orthotopic tumors that were treated daily with the active peptide survived for more than 16 weeks, and histological examination of the brains after 4, 8, and 12 weeks showed either no tumors or microscopic residual tumors. The growth of these brain tumor cells injected simultaneously or separately into the subcutis of nude mice (heterotopic model) was not affected by the active peptide, suggesting that the brain environment is a critical determinant of brain tumor susceptibility to growth inhibition by this pentapeptide. CONCLUSION: The cyclic pentapeptide EMD 121974 may become a treatment option specific to brain tumors. Because of its antiangiogenic effect, its use may be especially indicated after tumors are removed surgically.

The plasminogen-plasminogen activator (PA) system in neuroblastoma: role of PA inhibitor-1 in metastasis.

Proteases of the plasminogen-plasminogen activator (PA) system play an important role in cancer metastasis. We have examined the expression of these proteases and their cell surface receptors and inhibitors in neuroblastoma, a tumor that originates in cells of the neural crest and is the second most common solid tumor in children. This analysis was performed in seven established human cell lines and 20 primary tumor specimens. Urokinase PA and, in particular, tissue-type PA were expressed in cell lines and in tumor tissues; however, their levels of expression did not correlate with clinical stage. There was little evidence suggesting that neuroblastoma cells concentrate PA activity at their cell surface because urokinase-type PA receptor mRNA was detected in two cell lines and in 5 of 20 tumor samples by reverse transcription-PCR only. PA inhibitor (PAI)-2 was absent in all cell lines and tumor tissue samples examined. However, PAI-1, which was not expressed by the cell lines, was expressed by stromal cells and, specifically, endothelial cells in tumor tissue. By extending the analysis of PAI-1 expression in 64 primary tumor specimens, we found that high PAI-1 expression paradoxically correlated with metastatic stage and tumor recurrence. In vitro experiments indicated that the expression of PAI-1 by human microvascular endothelial cells was stimulated in the presence of SK-N-BE(2) human neuroblastoma cells and neuroblastoma culture medium. Recombinant PAI-1 also promoted SK-N-BE(2) cell detachment from vitronectin and migration from vitronectin toward fibronectin. From these data, we conclude that the up-regulation of PAI-1 expression in endothelial cells may promote rather than inhibit metastasis in neuroblastoma.

Detection of brain tumor invasion and micrometastasis in vivo by expression of enhanced green fluorescent protein.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether fluorescence from human brain tumor cells transfected with the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) gene in vitro and xenotransplanted into the brain of nude mice would permit the detection of brain tumor invasion and metastasis in vivo. METHODS: Daoy medulloblastoma cells were transfected with a long terminal repeat-based retroviral vector containing the EGFP gene. Stable EGFP-expressing clones were isolated and stereotactically injected into the frontal cortex of nude mice. Four weeks later, whole brain sections were examined using fluorescence microscopy, immunohistochemistry, and routine hematoxylin and eosin staining for the visualization and detection of tumor cell invasion and metastasis. RESULTS: We demonstrate that EGFP-transduced Daoy cells maintain stable high-level EGFP expression in the central nervous system during their growth in vivo. EGFP fluorescence clearly demarcated the primary tumor margins and readily allowed for the visualization of distant micrometastases and local invasion on the single-cell level. Small metastatic and locally invasive foci, including those immediately adjacent to the tumor's leading invasive edge, were virtually undetectable by routine hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemistry. EGFP expression also persisted in vitro after cell reculture from brain tissue extracts. CONCLUSION: We show, for the first time, that EGFP-transduced human brain tumor cells can be visualized by fluorescence microscopy after intracerebral implantation. This method is superior to routine hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemistry for the detection and study of physiologically relevant patterns of brain tumor invasion and metastasis in vivo.

Matrix metalloproteinases-2 and -9 are expressed in human neuroblastoma: contribution of stromal cells to their production and correlation with metastasis.

Neuroblastoma, the second most common solid childhood tumor, can be a highly invasive and metastatic form of cancer. To assess the role of matrix-degrading proteases in this cancer, we have examined the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their corresponding tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) in 7 human neuroblastoma cell lines and 24 primary untreated tumors. MMP-2 (gelatinase A) and MMP-9 (gelatinase B) were the only two MMPs expressed. MMP-2 was detected predominantly in an inactive proform in all tumor cell lines and tumor tissue extracts. The lack of MMP-2 activation in cell lines was attributed to the absence of expression of a membrane-type MMP (MT1-MMP), which activates proMMP-2, and to the abundant expression of TIMPs, particularly TIMP-2. Immunohistochemical analysis of tumor tissue samples indicated that MMP-2 was present in both tumor cells and stromal cells. In contrast, MMP-9 was not expressed by neuroblastoma cell lines but was present in inactive and active forms in extracts from tumor tissues. Immunohistochemical analysis of positive specimens indicated that MMP-9 was predominantly present in stromal, vascular, and perivascular cells surrounding nests of tumor cells. There was no correlation between the levels of these MMPs and the MYCN copy number or the histopathological phenotype. However, there were higher levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in stage IV (metastatic) disease when compared with stages I and II (noninvasive and nonmetastatic) or IV-S (P < 0.05).

Urokinase induces receptor mediated brain tumor cell migration and invasion.

The plasminogen activation (PA) system plays an important role in tumor invasion by initiating pericellular proteolysis of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and inducing cell migration. Malignant brain tumors overexpress PA members and characteristically invade by migrating on ECM-producing white matter tracts and blood vessel walls. To determine whether urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and its receptor (uPAR) directly modulate the migration of brain tumor cells, we examined six human brain tumor cell lines, 2 astrocytomas (SW1088, SW1783), 2 medullobastomas (Daoy, D341Med), and 2 glioblastomas (U87MG, U118MG), for their surface uPAR expression, endogenous PA activity, and functional proteolytic activity by an ECM-degradation assay. Migration on Transwell membranes and invasion of Matrigel was then tested by pre-incubating the cells with increasing concentrations of either uPA, the proteolytically inactive amino-terminal fragment (ATF) of uPA, or the uPAR cleaving enzyme, phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC). All of the cell lines, except D341Med, express surface uPAR protein and uPA activity. High levels of uPAR and uPA activity correlated with cellular degradation of ECM, cell migration, and Matrigel invasion. Cell migration and invasion were enhanced by uPA or ATF in a dose dependent manner, while PI-PLC treatment abolished the uPA effect and inhibited migration and invasion. We conclude that ligation of uPAR by uPA directly induces brain tumor cell migration, independent of uPA-mediated proteolysis; and in concert with ECM degradation, markedly enhances invasion. Conversely, removing membrane bound uPAR from the surface of the cells studied inhibited their ability to migrate and invade even in the presence of proteolytically active uPA.