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R J Muschel

Publications and source records attributed to R J Muschel.

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Site-specific integration of H-ras in transformed rat embryo cells.

A karyotypic analysis was performed on seven independently derived clones of primary rat embryo cells transformed by the ras oncogene plus the cooperating oncogene myc. The transfected oncogenes were sometimes present in amplified copy number, with heterogeneity in the levels of amplification. Some chromosomal features, such as aberrantly banding regions and double-minute chromosomes, typical of cells carrying amplified genes, were also seen in three of the seven cell lines. Underlying this heterogeneity there was an unexpected finding. All seven lines showed a common integration site for ras on the q arm of rat chromosome 3 (3q12), though some lines also had other sites of integration. In four of the lines integration of ras was accompanied by deletion of the p arm of chromosome 3 or its possible translocation to chromosome 12.

Animals↗

Secretion of type IV collagenolytic protease and metastatic phenotype: induction by transfection with c-Ha-ras but not c-Ha-ras plus Ad2-E1a.

Activated ras oncogene transfection into suitable recipient cells has been shown to induce the metastatic phenotype (Thorgeirsson, et al., Mol. Cell. Biol., 5: 259-262, 1985). We have used this model system to study the correlation of basement membrane collagenolysis with metastatic propensity. The c-Ha-ras oncogene alone, or combined with v-myc, transfected into early passage rat embryo fibroblasts, induce these cells to secrete high levels of type IV collagenolytic metalloproteinase and to concomitantly exhibit a high incidence of spontaneous metastases in nude mice. Cotransfection of c-Ha-ras plus the adenovirus type 2 E1a gene yields cells which are highly tumorigenic but nonmetastatic and fail to produce type IV collagenase. This effect is due to a suppression of collagenase elaboration, not increased production of a collagenase inhibitor, and not decreased production of a collagenase activator. The characteristics of the collagenase are identical to tumor type IV collagenase described previously. The nonmetastatic cells which failed to produce type IV collagenase retain the ability to secrete high levels of plasminogen activator. Transfection with the protooncogenic forms of Ha-ras or mos, or spontaneous transformation of NIH 3T3 cells or chemical transformation of BALB 3T3 cells yields cells which fail to produce collagenase, are tumorigenic, but totally nonmetastatic. These data support a biochemical linkage of type IV collagenase expression with the metastatic phenotype in this rodent system.

Adenovirus Early Proteins↗

Karyotypic analysis of diploid or near diploid metastatic Harvey ras transformed rat embryo fibroblasts.

The hypothesis of tumor progression proposed by Nowell [P. C. Nowell, Science (Wash. DC), 194: 23-28, 1976] states that one mechanism for the development of the metastatic phenotype could be the induction of chromosomal instability. We have developed a new experimental system for studying the induction of the metastatic phenotype using early passage fibroblasts which become metastatic in nude mice after transformation with the Harvey ras oncogene [R. J. Muschel et al., Am. J. Pathol., 121: 1-8, 1985; R. Pozzatti et al., Science (Wash. DC), 232: 223-227, 1986]. Since the early passage fibroblasts themselves are diploid, we reasoned that this might be a system in which karyotypic change after tumor formation or metastasis might easily be evaluated. Thus, we performed cytogenetic analysis on multiple metastases and tumors which had been derived from cells transformed with the cellular Harvey ras1 oncogene and compared their karyotypes. The karyotypes of the cells isolated from 5 tumors and 14 metastases were, as far as we could determine, identical to those of the injected cells. This could easily be evaluated because of the two clones studied one was diploid; the other has a trisomy of chromosome 4 without any other detectable abnormality. These results suggest that in this system using nude mice, selection for a necessary or even advantageous chromosomal aberration does not occur during tumor formation or metastasis. Furthermore, they indicate that the presence of the ras gene itself does not induce chromosomal rearrangements or aneuploidy and that a cell can be both tumorigenic and metastatic yet remain diploid.

Animals↗

Harvey ras induction of metastatic potential depends upon oncogene activation and the type of recipient cell.

NIH-3T3 cells and early passage fibroblasts transformed by various members of the rasH gene family were found to express metastatic potential in nude (Nu/Nu) mice. NIH-3T3 cells transformed by either the cloned DNA of the Harvey sarcoma virus or by the T24 human rasH oncogene were both tumorigenic after subcutaneous injection and metastatic after intravenous injection. In contrast, NIH-3T3 cells transformed by elevated levels of the proto-oncogene were tumorigenic but not metastatic. Tumor growth potential by itself, therefore, was not sufficient to induce metastatic behavior. Diploid fibroblasts transformed with the T24 rasH oncogene were tumorigenic and metastatic after intravenous injection and also produced extensive spontaneous metastases. Thus, induction of the complete metastatic phenotype by the T24 rasH oncogene does not require the use of aneuploid recipient cells such as NIH-3T3 cells. An alternative murine recipient cell type C127, when transformed by the cloned DNA of the Harvey sarcoma virus, was tumorigenic but not metastatic. The transformed C127 cells made less of the viral gene product P21 than the NIH-3T3 rasH transformants. To ensure that the decreased levels of P21 were not responsible for the lack of metastatic potential, C127 cells were transformed with altered constructs of the plasmid containing the Harvey sarcoma virus which elicited enhanced levels of P21. The augmented P21 levels, although equivalent to or greater than that seen in the NIH-3T3 transformants, did not confer metastatic potential on the C127 transformants. These results indicate that at least two complementation groups may be required for induction of metastatic capacity in this system, one involving the "activated" oncogenic form of the rasH gene and the second another as yet undefined factor in the cellular background present in NIH-3T3 cells but absent in C127 cells.

Animals↗

The human c-ras1H oncogene: a mutation in normal and neoplastic tissue from the same patient.

The c-ras1H oncogene can be distinguished from its normal cellular counterpart by the loss of a restriction endonuclease site. This sequence alteration is the basis of a rapid screening method for the presence of this oncogene. DNA's from 34 individuals were screened by this method, and all were homozygous for the normal allele. In contrast, DNA from a patient's bladder tumor, as well as DNA from his normal bladder and leukocytes, were heterozygous at that restriction endonuclease site. Further restriction enzyme mapping pinpointed the change in the mutant allele as being one of two nucleotides, either of which would change the 12th amino acid (glycine) in the normal c-ras1H gene product. Point mutations in the codon for this amino acid have previously been described in a bladder tumor cell line and in the viral oncogene v-rasH. These results indicate that the patient carried a c-ras1H oncogene in his germ line, raising the possibility that the c-ras1H oncogene confers a predisposition to neoplasia.

Base Sequence↗

Properties of protein kinase and adenylate cyclase-deficient variants of a macrophage-like cell line.

Stable variants of the macrophage-like cell line J774.2, defective in adenylate cyclase and protein kinase activities, were selected by cloning cells resistant to the growth-inhibitory effect of cholera toxin and 8-bromo-adenosine 3':5' cyclic monophosphoric acid (8 Br-cAMP), respectively. These variants were analyzed for their ability to respond to cyclic AMP-mediated enhancement of phagocytosis and cyclic AMP-mediated inhibition of plasminogen activator secretion and growtn. The adenylate cyclase variants were unaffected by cholera toxin but were sensitive to 8 Br-cAMP-mediated inhibition of plasminogen activator secretion and growth. One of these variants exhibited a defect in phagocytosis that could be corrected by 8 Br-cAMP. The protein kinase variants exhibited normal basal phagocytosis that could not be stimulated by either 8 Br-cAMP or cholera toxin; they were also insensitive to cyclic AMP-mediated inhibition of plasminogen activator secretion and growth. The studies demonstrate that the three effects of cyclic AMP in J774.2--inhibition of growth and plasminogen activator secretion, and enhancement of basal Fc-mediated phagocytosis--are mediated by a cyclic AMP-dependent portein kinase. The results support the usefulness of variants in cyclic nucleotide metabolism in understanding the regulation of differentiated cell function by cyclic AMP.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗

Isolation of variants in phagocytosis of a macrophage-like continuous cell line.

We have isolated cloned variants in phagocytosis from a cloned continuous murine macrophage-like cell line, J 774.2. A selection procedure against Fc receptor-mediated phagocytosis was devised using IgG-coated SRBC containing a toxic drug, tubercidin, as the lethal agent. A series of variant clones deficient in Fc receptor-mediated phagocytosis were isolated. Such variants occurred at low frequency (approximately 6 X 10(-5)), were stable, and appeared to possess Fc receptors. The degree to which they were defective in phagocytosis of IgG-coated SRBC varied from clone to clone, yet all clones, were able to phagocytize latex particles. The phagocytic defect in some variants could be corrected by the addition of 8 Br-cAMP, in others, the drug was without effect. It is likely, therefore, that different variants are defective in several distinct steps critical to Fc receptor-mediated phagocytosis.

Binding Sites↗

Modulation of Fc-mediated phagocytosis by cyclic AMP and insulin in a macrophage-like cell line.

Studies on genetically selected mutants in phagocytosis of E[IgG] indicated that the defect in some mutants could be corrected by addition of 8 Br-cAMP, and suggested that cyclic AMP may be involved in the mechanism of phagocytosis through the Fc receptor. In order to elucidate the role of cyclic AMP in phagocytosis in the parental, nonmutant macrophage-like cell line, J774.2, it was necessary to employ restrictive conditions which rendered phagocytosis suboptimal. When 4774.2 cells were cultured in nontissue culture Petri dishes phagocytosis was markedly reduced. Addition of 8 Br-cAMP or inducers of intracellular cyclic AMP such as isoproterenol restored the phagocytic ability of these cells. Similarly, treatment of the parental J774.2 cells with insulin reduced the level of phagocytosis, and once again this suppression could be corrected by addition of 8 Br-cAMP. In no case did AMP mimic the effects of 8 Br-cAMP. The effect of cyclic AMP action in this system was not instantaneous, but rather reached optimal levels at 5 to 10 hr, suggesting that cyclic AMP is not the immediate signal for phagocytosis. The genetic analysis of macrophage variants may provide a useful model for studies on the mechanisms of phagocytosis, and also the effects of insulin and cyclic AMP on an easily measurable biologic function in a specialized cell type.

Cell Line↗

Oncogenes and tumor progression.

Although tumors are often characterized as being the result of uncontrolled proliferation, clinically the morbidity from cancer results from its ability to invade and metastasize and to become resistance to our current therapeutic modalities such as chemotherapy and radiation. The study of oncogenes has largely stressed their ability to alter cell growth, but in fact they also influence these crucial features of tumor progression. In this review, we will summarize the data from our laboratory that indicated that the ras oncogene can induce metastasis as well as tumorigenicity and that the ras oncogene can also influence the development of radiation resistance. We have found that these changes in cells are sometimes accompanied by characteristic non-random chromosomal alterations in the transformed cells and will speculate that these accompanying chromosomal changes also may contribute to the features of tumor progression.

Animals↗

Metalloproteinases in tumor progression: the contribution of MMP-9.

Many enzymes capable of proteolytic degradation of extracellular matrix and basement membranes have been implicated in tumor progression, including the matrix metalloproteinases, cathepsins, plasminogen activators, and heparanase. Matrix metalloproteinases, a family of zinc-dependent proteases, participate in several steps in tumor progression, including invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis. In this review, we will give a brief overview of this protease family, and we will review in vitro and in vivo evidence implicating a particular metalloproteinase, the 92-kD type IV collagenase/gelatinase (MMP-9 or gelatinase B), as well as other metalloproteinases, in cancer progression. Finally, using recent studies from our laboratory, we will demonstrate the importance of both tumor cell and host stromal cell production of MMP-9 in tumor progression.

Animals↗