Ras-mediated suppression of TGFbetaRII expression in intestinal epithelial cells involves Raf-independent signaling.

Ras-transformed intestinal epithelial cells are resistant to the growth inhibitory actions of TGFbeta and have a marked decrease in expression of the TGFbeta type II receptor (TGFbetaRII). Rat intestinal epithelial cells (RIE) were stably transfected with activated Ras, Sos and Raf constructs and tested for expression of TGFbetaRII and sensitivity to growth inhibition by TGFbeta. The parental RIE line and the RIE-Raf cells were non-transformed in morphology and were sensitive to TGFbeta (70-90% inhibited). In contrast, the RIE-Ras and RIE-Sos lines were transformed, resistant to TGFbeta and expressed 5- to 10-fold decreased levels of the TGFbetaRII mRNA and protein. Cyclin D1 protein expression was repressed by TGFbeta treatment in parental RIE and RIE-Raf cells, whereas levels of cyclin D1 in RIE-Ras and RIE-Sos cells remained unchanged. Treatment of RIE-Ras cells with 25 microM farnesyl transferase inhibitor, FTI L739,749, for 48 hours restored expression of TGFbetaRII to levels equivalent to control cells. In addition, treatment of RIE-Ras cells for 48 hours with PD-98059, a specific MAPKK inhibitor, also increased expression of TGFbetaRII to control levels. Collectively these results suggest that downregulation of TGFbetaRII and loss of sensitivity to growth inhibition by TGFbeta in Ras-transformed intestinal epithelial cells is not mediated exclusively by the conventional Ras/Raf/MAPKK/MAPK pathway. However, activation of MAPK, perhaps by an alternate Ras effector pathway, appears to be necessary for Ras-mediated downregulation of TGFbetaRII.

Cyclooxygenase-2 alters transforming growth factor-beta 1 response during intestinal tumorigenesis.

BACKGROUND: Recent investigation suggests that cyclooxygenase-2 plays an important role in colorectal carcinogenesis. Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta 1) is one of the most potent stimulators of cyclooxygenase-2 expression. A key step in intestinal tumorigenesis involves alteration of the normal cellular response to TGF-beta 1. We have hypothesized that overexpression of cyclooxygenase-2 alters intestinal epithelial response to TGF-beta 1. METHODS: RIE-1 cells were stably transfected with rat cyclooxygenase-2 complementary DNA in either the sense (RIE-S) or antisense (RIE-AS) orientation. Tumor cell invasion was assessed with a modified Boyden collagen type I invasion assay in the presence of TGF-beta 1, antibody to urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA), or the selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor SC-58125. Expression of uPA, uPA receptor, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 were determined by Western blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: RIE-1 and RIE-AS did not invade although RIE-S cells were minimally invasive at baseline. TGF-beta 1 had no effect on RIE-1 or RIE-AS invasion; however, TGF-beta 1 significantly upregulated RIE-S cell invasion. All 3 RIE cell lines produce minimal uPA under basal conditions. TGF-beta 1 upregulated uPA production only in the RIE-S cells. Both antibody to uPA and SC-58125 reversed TGF-beta-mediated RIE-S cell invasion. SC-58125 inhibited TGF-beta-mediated RIE-S uPA production. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that overexpression of cyclooxygenase-2 alters intestinal epithelial response to TGF-beta 1, which may be a mechanism by which cyclooxygenase-2 promotes colon carcinogenesis.

Intestinal cell cycle regulations. Interactions of cyclin D1, Cdk4, and p21Cip1.

OBJECTIVE: The p21Cip1 protein is a potent stoichiometric inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinase activity, and p21Cip1 mRNA expression is localized to the nonproliferative compartment of the intestinal villus, suggesting an in vivo growth-inhibitory role in the gut. The authors determined whether nontransformed rat intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) underwent reversible cell cycle arrest by contact inhibition, and determined whether increases in the relative amount of p21 associated with cyclin D/Cdk4 protein complexes were associated with cell growth arrest. METHODS: Density arrest was achieved by prolonged culture IEC-6 in confluent conditions (5 or more days). Release from density arrest was achieved by detaching the cells from the culture plate and reseeding them at a 1:4 ratio. The DNA synthesis was estimated by [3H]-thymidine incorporation and expressed as mean plus or minus standard error of the mean (n = 4). Cyclin D1, Cdk4, and p21 mRNA and protein levels were determined by standard Northern and Western blot analyses, respectively. Cyclin D1, Cdk4, and p21 protein complex formation was analyzed by immunoprecipitating the complexes from cell lysates with an antibody to one of the constituents, followed by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western blot analysis of the precipitated complexes using antibodies to the other proteins. The kinase activity of the immunoprecipitated Cdk4 was determined using recombinant Rb as substrate. RESULTS: The IEC-6[3H]-thymidine incorporation was decreased 7.5-fold from day 1 confluence to day 7 of confluence. Twenty-four hours after release from density arrest, there was a 43-fold increase in [3H]-thymidine incorporation. Cyclin D1 and Cdk4 mRNA levels remained relatively constant during contact inhibition, whereas immunoblotting showed that the levels of cyclin D1 and Cdk4 proteins decreased by 70.9% and 68.7%, respectively, comparing day 3 with day 9 during density arrest. The levels of cyclin D1 increased 5.8-fold and Cdk4 increased by 4.4-fold by 24 hours after reseeding the day 9 density-arrested cultures, coincident with the increase in DNA synthesis. The amount of p21 associated with the cyclin D1 and Cdk4 complex in the density-arrested cells was 170% of that observed in the reseeded, proliferating cells. More important, the p21::Cdk4 ratio was 6.4-fold higher in the density-arrested (quiescent) cells as compared with rapidly proliferating cells by 24 hours after release from growth arrest. Recovery of Cdk4-dependent kinase activity occurred by 4 hours after release from growth arrest, coincident with decreased binding of p21 to the complex. CONCLUSIONS: Intestinal epithelial cells in culture can undergo density-dependent growth arrest. This process involves downregulation of cyclin D1 and Cdk4 at the level of protein expression, whereas the mRNA levels remain relatively unchanged. Further, during contact inhibition, there is more p21 associated with cyclin D1/Cdk4, which further contributes to the inhibition of the kinase complex. The authors also have shown that the process of contact inhibition is reversible, which may explain partly the ability of the intestinal epithelium to increase proliferative activity in response to injury.

Insulin-like growth factor-II expression in carcinoma in colon cell lines: implications for autocrine actions.

BACKGROUND: In the gastrointestinal tract, insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF-II) messenger RNA (mRNA) is localized mainly in mesenchymal cells, and is more abundant in the fetus than in the adult. The purposes of this study are to characterize the gene expression of IGF-II at the mRNA and protein level in seven different epithelial cell lines derived from colon carcinomas and to determine the action of IGF-II and IGF-receptors on a colon carcinoma cell line. STUDY DESIGN: Insulin-like growth factor-II mRNAs were examined by Northern analysis; conditioned media from colon carcinoma cells were concentrated, chromatographed, and examined by a specific IGF-II radioreceptor assay. Insulin-like growth factor receptors were examined by radioligand binding assays. The mitogenic role of IGF-II was determined by a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. RESULTS: Multiple sizes of IGF-II mRNAs were expressed in all colon carcinoma cell lines tested (six human cell lines: HCT116, COLO 205, COLO 320 DM, LoVo, DLD-1, and HT29, and one mouse cell line: MC-26). In the conditioned media of COLO 205 and HCT116 cells, 7.5 kilodaltons IGF-II and high molecular form (IGF-II and IGF binding protein complex) were detected. Both Type I and Type II IGF receptors were present on COLO 205 cells whose growth was stimulated by IGF-II. Addition of anti-IGF-I receptor and anti-IGF-II antibody in the cell culture significantly depressed growth of the COLO 205 cell line in the presence or absence of exogenous IGF-II. CONCLUSIONS: Insulin-like growth factor-II mRNAs are expressed in human and mouse colon carcinoma cell lines, which may induce production of a significant amount of biologically active IGF-II protein. The IGF-II secreted by COLO 205 cells may stimulate cell growth in an autocrine fashion through the Type I IGF receptors.

Transforming growth factor-beta 1 inhibits cyclin D1 expression in intestinal epithelial cells.

Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) inhibits most epithelial cell types by blocking cell cycle progression during the G1 phase. D cyclins are normally expressed during G1 and are regulators of G1 progression. One of the crucial functions of D cyclins is their ability to bind to a cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk4). In mink lung epithelial cells, TGF-beta 1 inhibits Cdk4 expression. We have measured cell cycle progression and D cyclins and Cdk4 expression in non-transformed rat intestinal epithelial cell lines (IEC-6 and RIE-1) after TGF-beta 1 treatment. In exponentially growing cultures, TGF-beta 1 blocked DNA synthesis and suppressed cyclin D1 mRNA and protein expression, whereas the levels of cyclins D2, D3 and Cdk4 remained relatively unchanged. TGF-beta 1 was also added to G0-synchronized IEC-6 cells after serum stimulation. TGF-beta 1 prevention of G1 progression was associated with an inhibition of cyclin D1 protein expression. Cyclin D3 levels were not affected by TGF-beta 1 during G1 traverse. Our results suggest that cyclin D/Cdk4 is a crucial target of TGF-beta 1 and that regulation of this kinase is mediated through cyclin D1 in intestinal epithelial cells.

Activation of hepatic proliferation-associated transcription factors by lipopolysaccharide.

BACKGROUND: The hepatic acute-phase response is the result of reprogramming of gene expression in the liver. Similar acute-phase responses occur in regenerating liver after partial hepatectomy and are preceded by increases in the expression of a set of transcriptional regulatory proteins that are encoded by "immediate-early" genes. The purpose of this study was to determine whether acute systemic inflammation after lipopolysaccharide injection induces hepatic immediate-early genes that are induced by partial hepatectomy. METHODS: Two- to 4-month-old Balb/c mice received intraperitoneal Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (0111:B4; 100 micrograms), and total liver RNA, nuclear protein extracts, or total liver protein lysates were obtained at 0, 1, 3, 12, and 24 hours. RNA blot hybridization analysis was used to determine steady-state messenger RNA levels for c-jun, jun-B, jun-D, c-fos, fos-B, fra-1, nup475, and zif268. Specific nuclear protein-binding activity was determined by gel mobility shift assay. The protein c-Jun was detected by antibody-blocking experiments, and Jun-B was detected by gel supershift assay of the activating protein (AP-1) complex. Steady-state Jun-B levels were determined by immunoblot analysis. RESULTS: Intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide is followed by induction (from fivefold to 13-fold) of c-jun, jun-B, c-fos, zif268, and nup475 messenger RNAs in the liver. Lipopolysaccharide induced increases in AP-1 and Zif268 consensus DNA-binding activity in mouse liver. The proteins c-Jun and Jun-B are detected in the AP-1 complex after administration of lipopolysaccharide. CONCLUSIONS: The induction of hepatic immediate-early genes after lipopolysaccharide is similar to that that follows partial hepatectomy. These transcription factors likely have important roles in the reprogramming of gene expression that leads to the acute-phase response.

Posttranscriptional regulation of albumin and alpha-fetoprotein messenger RNA by transforming growth factor-beta 1 requires de novo RNA and protein synthesis.

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF beta) has been implicated in the regulation of hepatocyte function. We have examined TGF beta 1 regulation of albumin and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) mRNA levels in a well differentiated mouse hepatoma cell line (BWTG3). TGF beta 1 reversibly decreased steady state mRNA levels of both albumin and AFP. By nuclear run-on assays, we found that TGF beta 1 caused no significant change in transcription rates for albumin or AFP. Pretreatment with actinomycin-D prevented the TGF beta 1-induced decrease in albumin and AFP mRNA levels. Also, if cells were treated with actinomycin-D after a 12-h exposure to TGF beta 1, actinomycin-D abrogated the further decrease in albumin and AFP mRNA levels that occurred after treatment with TGF beta 1 alone. Cycloheximide pretreatment blocked the TGF beta 1-induced decrease in albumin and AFP mRNA levels. TGF beta 1 altered neither the rate of BWTG3 cell growth nor the levels of mRNA for the growth-associated protooncogene c-myc. These data suggest that TGF beta 1 has regulatory effects on specific hepatocyte functions that are independent of growth regulatory effects. The decrease in albumin and AFP mRNAs caused by TGF beta 1 is posttranscriptional and dependent upon de novo RNA and protein synthesis.

Transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta stimulates hepatic jun-B and fos-B proto-oncogenes and decreases albumin mRNA.

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) modulates some components of the acute phase response in hepatic cells. The mechanisms for these actions of TGF-beta are largely unknown. The authors recently found that the decrease in albumin mRNA after TGF-beta 1 treatment required de novo RNA and protein synthesis, suggesting that TGF-beta acts through induction of another gene. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether TGF-beta 1 could regulate the expression of both the jun and fos genes that encode transcriptional regulatory proteins that constitute the AP-1 complex, and to determine whether expression of these genes may be coordinated with the decrease in albumin mRNA. Northern blot hybridization was used to determine levels of specific mRNAs. Transforming growth factor-beta 1 increased the levels of both jun-B and fos-B mRNA by 60 minutes after treatment of mouse hepatoma (BWTG3) cells. When TGF-beta 1 was removed from the media after 4 hours, there was a sustained effect of increased jun-B and decreased albumin mRNA (greater than 48 hours), and the subsequent decrease in jun-B levels coincided with the increase in albumin mRNA. The tumor-promoting phorbol ester (phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate [PMA]), known to induce jun and fos gene expression, caused increases in jun-B and fos-B that preceded the decrease in albumin mRNA levels at 24 hours. These observations are consistent with our hypothesis that jun-B and fos-B induction may participate in downregulation of albumin synthesis as well as other hepatic responses to TGF-beta.

Phenotypic alterations in fibroblasts and fibrosarcoma cells that overexpress latent transforming growth factor-beta 1.

Mouse embryo-derived AKR-2B fibroblasts and murine fibrosarcoma cells (the 1591 cell line) were transfected with a murine transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF beta 1) cDNA under the transcriptional control of either the simian virus-40 early promoter or the cytomegalovirus promoter/enhancer. Selected clones secreted 2- to 4-fold more TGF beta-competing activity into their media than the parental cell line or neomycin-transfected controls. The TGF beta 1 released into the cell-conditioned medium was latent. Despite the latency of the overexpressed TGF beta 1, TGF beta 1-transfected cells exhibited phenotypic features of TGF beta 1-treated cells. When confluent, the TGF beta 1-transfected cells had the morphological characteristics of the parental cells that have been treated with active TGF beta 1. AKR-2B cells that expressed higher levels of TGF beta 1 also expressed high levels of c-sis and c-myc mRNAs and decreased TGF beta 2 and TGF beta 3 mRNAs in the same manner as parental AKR-2B cells that had been treated with active TGF beta 1. The transfected 1591 cells that overexpressed TGF beta 1 bound less [125I]TGF beta 1 than did parental 1591 cells, but after a mild acid wash demonstrated an increase in [125I]TGF beta 1 binding. Our results suggest that these TGF beta 1-transfected fibroblast and fibrosarcoma cells have the capacity to activate TGF beta; however, as very little activated TGF beta is detected in the medium, it is hypothesized that these cells activate latent TGF beta 1 and bind the activated TGF beta 1, thus acquiring a phenotype consistent with TGF beta 1-treated cells.