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B Westermark

Publications and source records attributed to B Westermark.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Thyrotropin modulates EGF receptor function in porcine thyroid follicle cells.

Porcine thyroid follicle cells in monolayer cultures were shown to contain one single class of high-affinity EGF receptors with Kd = 4.5 X 10(-10) M and approximately 20 000-25 000 receptors per cell. Suspension cultures of aggregated follicle cells, exposed to TSH for 3 days, showed a 3-fold increase in [125I]EGF binding. Scatchard analysis demonstrated that this was due to an increase in receptor number. Other cAMP-elevating agents (cholera toxin, dibutyryl cAMP, forskolin) induced a similar effect. In suspension cultures, preincubation with TSH or cholera toxin for 2 days reduced the subsequent [3H]thymidine incorporation. This inhibition was overcome by a low concentration of EGF (0.1 ng/ml). At higher concentrations of EGF (1-10 ng/ml) the incorporation of [3H]thymidine was potentiated 2-3-fold in cultures preexposed to TSH or cholera toxin. The results demonstrate the presence of a high-affinity EGF receptor in porcine thyroid follicle cells. Receptor expression, as well as responsiveness to the mitogenic action of EGF, is modulated in vitro by TSH, through a cAMP-dependent process.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Platelet-derived growth factor agonist activity of a secreted form of the v-sis oncogene product.

We have compared the functional properties of a growth factor partially purified from medium conditioned by simian sarcoma virus-transformed cells with those of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). The factor mimicked the effects induced by PDGF: it bound to and activated human fibroblast PDGF receptors and stimulated DNA synthesis. These activities were specifically inhibited by PDGF antibodies and thus elicited by a factor(s) immunologically related to PDGF. The factor behaved as a secretory protein, since about 95% of the receptor-binding activity was found in the medium after a 48-hr serum-free incubation. Structural characterization of the PDGF-like activity revealed a Mr 24,000 intracellular protein and two polypeptides of Mr 13,000 and 11,500 released into the medium. The Mr 13,000 component bound to human fibroblasts; this binding was competitively inhibited by PDGF. The data support the possibility that oncogene products may elicit transforming activity by interacting with the normal cellular mitogenic pathway.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Mitogenic activity and epidermal growth factor content in human milk.

The concentration of epidermal growth factor (EGF) was determined by radioimmunoassay in colostral and mature human milk. The content of EGF in colostral milk was 25-38 ng/ml compared to 5.2-11.5 ng/ml in samples of mature milk. The radioimmunoassayable EGF content in mature milk was not influenced by pasteurization and EGF was detected in a preparation of human milk protein at a concentration similar to that found in mature milk. The growth promoting activity in human milk measured by 3H-thymidine incorporation in human fibroblasts was higher in colostral milk (stimulated incorporation 8.7 fold) than in mature milk (stimulated incorporation about 7-fold).

Cell Division↗
PubMed1985

The spreading of human normal glial and malignant glioma cells in culture. Studies on standard culture conditions.

Using three lines of human normal glial cells and four established lines of human malignant glioma cells we have studied cell spreading following seeding onto glass and plastic substrata. The cells were detached with EDTA and trypsin, suspended in EMEM with 10% calf serum and studied with time-lapse, phase-contrast cinematography in suspension and during attachment and spreading. Cells were fixed and prepared for light microscopy while in suspension and during the spreading process. They were also prepared for scanning and transmission electron microscopy at different times during spreading. The projected areas of stained cells, in suspension and at different stages of spreading, were measured morphometrically and the results compared statistically. The glial cells in suspension were often found to retain somewhat their shape from the previous monolayer. They spread radially outwards with even lamellar cytoplasm and peripheral ruffling, as a group more quickly than the malignant glioma cells. They also became polarized and started to translocate in a shorter time. The glioma cells were spherical in suspension and characterized by pronounced blebbing of the cell surface. Blebbing continued during spreading and was finally replaced by ruffling at the edge. The cells spread like the glial cells radially outwards but the lamellar cytoplasm was occasionally somewhat irregular. Cells from the glioma lines spread as groups slower than the glial cells but with individual rates for the different lines. One of the glioma lines appeared to spread more thinly than the glial cells. Cells which sedimented on top of other cells could not spread. Aggregations of cells spread and became polarized more quickly than single cells in all cases.

Cell Adhesion↗
PubMed1985

Platelet-derived growth factor: mechanism of action and relation to oncogenes.

Recent studies of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) have revealed several structural and functional similarities between this growth factor or components linked to its mechanism of action and certain oncogene products: PDGF itself has a structural homology with the transforming protein of simian sarcoma virus, the PDGF receptor has a functional homology (tyrosine kinase activity) with a family of oncogene products, and PDGF induces the expression of the cellular counterparts of myc and fos. In addition, several tumour cell lines have been found to produce PDGF-like growth factors, which may cause autocrine stimulation of growth. We interpret these findings as indicating that regulatory components along the PDGF-dependent mitogenic pathway may have oncogenic properties if they are inappropriately expressed or activated.

Cell Line↗
PubMed1985

Growth factors and oncogenes in human malignant glioma.

Normal cell replication is regulated by growth factors such as epidermal growth factor (EGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) that act through binding to specific surface receptors on target cells. Oncogenes may exert their transforming activity by encoding proteins that mimic the function of the normal regulatory factors along the mitogenic pathway, growth factors, their receptors or elements along the postreceptor signaling system. This may be exemplified by the human malignant glioma, in which the sis gene (encoding a growth factor homologous to PDGF) and the erb B gene (encoding a membrane protein homologous to the EGF receptor) have been implicated.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

The c-sis gene encodes a precursor of the B chain of platelet-derived growth factor.

The relationship between platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and the proto-oncogene c-sis has been determined by amino acid sequence analysis of PDGF and nucleotide sequence analysis of c-sis genomic clones. The nucleotide sequences of five regions of the human c-sis gene which are homologous to sequences of the transforming region (v-sis) of simian sarcoma virus (SSV) were determined. By alignment of the c-sis and v-sis nucleotide sequences the predicted amino acid sequence of a polypeptide homologous to the putative transforming protein p28sis of SSV was deduced. Both predicted sequences use the same termination codon and additional coding sequences may lie 5' to the homologous regions. Amino acid sequence analysis of the PDGF B chain shows identity to the amino acid sequence predicted from the c-sis sequences over 109 amino acid residues. Polymorphism may exist at two amino acid residues. These results suggest that c-sis encodes a polypeptide precursor of the B chain. A partial amino acid sequence of the PDGF A chain is also described. This chain is 60% homologous to the B chain and cannot be encoded by that part of c-sis which has been sequenced but could be encoded by sequences which lie 5' to the five regions of v-sis homology in c-sis, or at a separate locus.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1984

Growth factor-induced proliferation of human fibroblasts in serum-free culture depends on cell density and extracellular calcium concentration.

Human neonatal skin fibroblasts plated sparsely in MCDB 105 traversed a complete cell cycle in the absence of serum or serum-derived proteins. Addition of pure PDGF did not significantly increase entrance into S phase as revealed by 3H-thymidine labeling index or clonal growth on palladium islands. In subphysiologic Ca2+ concentrations or in the presence of a calmodulin inhibitor, W7, proliferation in the absence of growth factors ceased and PDGF became mitogenic. In contrast, confluent fibroblast cultures were stimulated by PDGF in physiologic Ca2+ concentrations. This was also the case with sparse adult skin fibroblast cultures while a fetal strain entered S in the absence of PDGF even in low extracellular Ca2+ concentrations. EGF gave similar results as PDGF in all experiments performed. This proposes a similar role for the two growth factors in the cell cycle. However, a difference in the mechanisms of action of PDGF and EGF is indicated by the fact that PDGF and EGF were additive at optimal concentrations when maximal growth response by a single growth factor was restricted by a subphysiologic extracellular Ca2+ concentration.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1984

Coexpression of a PDGF-like growth factor and PDGF receptors in a human osteosarcoma cell line: implications for autocrine receptor activation.

The expression of both a PDGF-like growth factor and functional PDGF receptors within a clonal human osteosarcoma cell line (U-2 OS Cl 6) is demonstrated. These molecules are able to interact and induce tyrosine-specific phosphorylation and early actin reorganization in the osteosarcoma cells, effects similar to those that PDGF induces in normal responsive cells. Furthermore, immunoprecipitation with an antiserum against phosphotyrosine revealed that a 115 kd protein was constitutively phosphorylated in U-2 OS Cl 6 cells. A phosphorylated protein of similar apparent molecular weight has been found in human fibroblasts, but only after stimulation with PDGF. These data indicate that the PDGF-receptor-dependent pathway is constitutively activated in this cell line. Extracellularly added PDGF antibodies did not, however, affect the transformed properties or growth rate of U-2 OS Cl 6 cells in vitro. This indicates that autocrine PDGF receptor activation may be insignificant for maintaining the transformed state of this tumor cell line, or that autocrine receptor activation occurs in a compartment where it is inaccessible to extracellularly added antibodies.

Antibodies↗
PubMed1984

Influence of thyroid autoantibodies on thyroid cellular growth in vitro.

Porcine thyroid follicle cells, cultured in suspension, were employed to investigate the effects of immunoglobulin preparations from patients with colloid goitre, Graves' disease or Hashimoto's thyroiditis on thyroid growth in vitro. Epidermal growth factor (EGF, 19 ng/ml) was used as a reference for maximum growth stimulation and produced a 9-fold increase in [3H]thymidine incorporation. Immunoglobulins (1000 micrograms/ml) were found to increase [3H]thymidine incorporation compared to control: from 10 normal individuals 32 +/- 4% (mean +/- SEM, % of EGF response), from 10 patients with colloid goitre 26 +/- 4% (not significantly different from normal), from 10 patients with Graves' disease 19 +/- 3% (P less than 0.05) and from 15 patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis 11 +/- 2% (P less than 0.001). No patient immunoglobulin preparation showed activity greater than that of normal individuals. The lower growth stimulatory activity in Graves' disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis remained after heat inactivation of serum and is thought to reflect surface binding of thyroid autoantibodies.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

A glioma-derived analog to platelet-derived growth factor: demonstration of receptor competing activity and immunological crossreactivity.

A human clonal glioma cell line, U-343 MGa Cl 2, cultured under serum-free conditions, was found to release a factor that competed with 125I-labeled platelet-derived growth factor (125I-PDGF) for binding to human foreskin fibroblasts. The concentration of competing activity in conditioned medium was equal to 20-30 ng of PDGF per ml. The PDGF receptor competing activity had an elution position on Sephadex G-200 close to that of tracer PDGF. The same fractions in the chromatogram also contained growth-promoting activity and material active in a PDGF radioimmunoassay. Incubation of partially purified, 125I-labeled glioma factor with fibroblasts, or rabbit anti-PDGF serum, led to the selective binding of a component with an estimated Mr of 31,000, as shown by NaDodSO4/gel electrophoresis under nonreducing conditions. After reduction this component migrated as a Mr 18,000 protein. Thus, the behavior in NaDodSO4/gel electrophoresis was similar to that of PDGF. Furthermore, incubation of partially purified glioma factor with immobilized PDGF antibodies markedly decreased the amount of PDGF receptor competing activity remaining in the supernatant. These results suggest that the factor produced by glioma cells has structural, immunological, and functional resemblance to PDGF. We previously reported that a human osteosarcoma cell line produces a PDGF-like molecule with growth-promoting activity. Taken together with the recent finding that PDGF is homologous to the transforming gene product of simian sarcoma virus, our present data give additional support for the idea that an autocrine activation of the PDGF receptor may be operational in the growth of human tumors of mesenchymal or glial origin.

Binding, Competitive↗
PubMed1983

Synthesis of a PDGF-like growth factor in human glioma and sarcoma cells suggests the expression of the cellular homologue to the transforming protein of simian sarcoma virus.

Several human normal and neoplastic cell lines were screened for production of PDGF receptor competing activity. Conditioned medium from two sarcomas and one glioma blocked 125I-PDGF binding to human foreskin fibroblasts in a dose-dependent manner. In each case this effect was abolished when the conditioned medium was pretreated with PDGF-antiserum, indicating that the receptor competing activity was immunologically related to PDGF. Direct evidence for de novo synthesis of a PDGF-like component in the cultures was afforded by 35S-cysteine labeling of the three cell lines, followed by immunoprecipitation with PDGF antiserum. This resulted in the specific precipitation of a 31,000 molecular weight labeled protein, which upon reduction was split into two polypeptides of molecular weights 17,000 and 16,500. The significance of these findings in view of the recently discovered structure homology between PDGF and the transforming gene product of simian sarcoma virus, p28sis, is discussed.

Binding, Competitive↗
PubMed1983

Formation and growth of multicellular spheroids of human origin.

Different types of human cells which normally grow as monolayers or suspension cultures were tested for their capacity to form and grow as spheroids. Sixteen out of the 27 tested tumour cell lines formed spheroids. Nearly all of these spheroids also grew. With only two exceptions the doubling times were longer when the tumour cells grew as spheroids than when they grew in conventional mass culture. Eleven out of 13 tested human non-tumour cells formed small spheroids but of these only the spheroids of lymphoid origin could grow. These lymphoid cells grew faster when aggregated to spheroids than when in single-cell suspension culture. None of the other non-tumour cells, which normally grew as monolayers, could grow as spheroids. The normally monolayer-cultured tumour cells formed symmetrical spheroids with smooth surfaces while the normally suspension-cultured cells formed irregular spheroids with rough surfaces. All large spheroids had a necrotic centre surrounded by a shell of viable cells. The thickness of the viable cell layer varied depending on cell type. The shape and organization of cells within the spheroids also varied largely. The results show that many types of human cells can be cultured as spheroids and that a wide spectrum of morphological appearances and growth rates can be obtained.

Cell Aggregation↗
PubMed1983

The effect of platelet-derived growth factor on morphology and motility of human glial cells.

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) is a mitogen for several cell types in culture. It is documented in this work that one of the earliest effects of PDGF on serum-starved glial cells is an induction of intensive motile activity. Within the first minute after the addition of PDGF thin membrane lamellae grow out around almost all of the cell circumference. Later, circular arrangements of small ruffles appear on the dorsal surface of the cells. These rings of ruffles vary in size and some encircle almost the whole cell. The organization of the peripheral weave of microfilaments in the PDGF-induced advancing lamellae was closely similar to that of normally growing cells. In the regions of the circular arrangements of ruffles there was an extensive reorganization of the surface actin with unusual arrangements of microfilament bundles and polygonal networks. There was also a general intensification of the translocation of membrane ruffles and spikes from the cell periphery towards the centre of the cell, increased micropinocytotic activity and shuttling of intracellular particles.

Cell Movement↗
PubMed1983

Surface binding and internalization of platelet-derived growth factor in human fibroblasts.

Surface binding and uptake of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) in human fibroblasts cultivated in vitro were studied by quantitative electron microscopic autoradiography using 125I-labeled PDGF and by indirect immunofluorescence using PDGF antibodies. After 120 min at 12 degrees C PDGF was found preferentially in coated regions of the plasma membrane. Warming the cells to 37 degrees C initiated rapid ingestion of the factor via small vesicles, usually lacking a membrane coat. After 10 min PDGF started to appear in lysosomes, and it showed maximal concentration within these organelles after 30 min. There were also signs of passage of PDGF through the Golgi complex, but only after 60 min. Treatment of the cells with chloroquine, a weak base that inhibits intralysosomal degradation, prevented disappearance of tracer from the lysosomes. The observations indicate that PDGF was internalized via coated regions of the plasma membrane and carried to lysosomes for degradation. Subsequent appearance of tracer within the Golgi complex could reflect receptor-ligand complexes that escaped degradation and were recirculated back to the cell surface.

Autoradiography↗
PubMed1983

Epidermal growth factor modulates thyroid growth and function in culture.

The effect of epidermal growth factor (EGF) on the growth and function of porcine thyroid follicle suspension cultures was examined. When incubated with EGF (0.01-10 ng/ml), the incorporation of [3H]thymidine was markedly stimulated, with the half-maximal effect occurring at about 0.5 ng/ml. Through 6-day experiments, [3H]thymidine incorporation increased almost linearly after an initial lag phase of 1 day. Autoradiographical analysis showed that more than 50% of the nuclei were labeled after 4 days of incubation with EGF (10 ng/ml) compared to control values of 3-7% labeled nuclei. EGF was essentially as effective in serum-free medium as in medium containing 1% fetal calf serum. EGF added at the same concentrations that stimulated incorporation of [3H]thymidine was found to reduce iodide metabolism of the follicles within 30 min of addition; both TSH-stimulated efflux and organification of [125I]iodide were suppressed by the addition of EGF. Since EGF is a physiologically occurring substance, the data suggest that EGF might be a modulator of thyroid growth and function in vivo.

Animals↗