EGFRvⅢ上调FAK磷酸化促进人胶质瘤细胞迁移

目的：探讨表皮生长因子受体突变体Ⅲ（epidermal growth factor receptor mutation typeⅢ，EGFRvⅢ）促进入胶质瘤细胞迁移运动的可能机制。方法：利用反转录病毒感染技术建立EGFRvⅢ过表达的人胶质瘤细胞U87 EGFRvⅢ，琼脂滴细胞迁移实验和Transwell细胞迁移实验观察EGFRvⅢ对细胞迁移运动的影响；Western印迹法检测黏着斑激酶（focal adhesion kinase，FAK）磷酸化的变化。将FAK突变体FAK（Y397F）导入U87 EGFRvⅢ细胞，观察细胞侵袭运动变化。结果：EGFRvⅢ促进入胶质瘤细胞U87的迁移运动，同时使FAK397位点磷酸化水平上调。将FAK突变体Y397F转入U87 EGFRvⅢ细胞，FAK磷酸化水平下调同时细胞迁移能力下降。结论：EGFRvⅢ通过上调FAK397位点磷酸化水平来促进胶质瘤细胞的迁移。     

β2肾上腺素能受体在乳腺癌细胞中的表达及对侵袭能力的影响

目的：探讨β2肾上腺素能受体（β2 adrenergic receptor，β2-AR）在人乳腺癌细胞株中的表达以及对乳腺癌细胞侵袭能力的影响。方法：RT—PCR法检测10种乳腺癌细胞株及正常乳腺上皮细胞中β2-AR的表达；用脂质体转染法将卢2“尺基因转入乳腺癌细胞MDA—MB-435；用细胞侵袭实验（Transwell）检测亲本细胞及转染细胞的侵袭能力。结果：β2-AR在正常乳腺上皮细胞HBL-100及乳腺癌细胞BT-549、HCC1937、BCaP-37中表达；在乳腺癌细胞MDA—MB-435、MDA—MB-435HM、MCF-7、T47D中基本无表达；在乳腺癌细胞MDA—MB-231、MDA-MB-231HM、MDA—MB-468中高表达。细胞侵袭实验证实表达B2-AR蛋白的MDA—MB-231及稳定转染卢2-AR基因的细胞克隆MDA—MB-435β2-AR可由β2-AR受体激动剂去甲肾上腺素趋化而定向迁移及侵袭。结论：β2-AR在多种乳腺癌细胞株中表达；转染β2-AR可使乳腺癌细胞的侵袭能力增强。     

Protein phosphatase activity of PTEN inhibited the invasion of glioma cells with epidermal growth factor receptor mutation type III expression

PTEN is a major tumor suppressor gene that has been shown to inhibit cell invasion. Its mutation has been found in 20-40% of malignant gliomas. Meanwhile, the type III EGFR mutation (EGFRvIII), which was frequently found in gliomas, promoted cell invasion. In the present study, the effects of PTEN on cell invasion were investigated in U87DeltaEGFR glioblastoma cells with EGFRvIII expression but missing PTEN. The cell invasion was downregulated by transfection of phosphatase-active forms of PTEN (wild-type and G129E) but not by PTEN (C124A) with an inactive phosphatase domain; the effects were correlated with decreased tyrosine phosphatase levels of FAK at Tyr397, which was increased by EGFRvIII. Overexpression of FAK mutant (Y397F) could partially mimic the effect of PTEN on cell invasion. Although EGFRvIII increased the levels of P-Akt and PTEN eliminated it, PI-3K inhibitors, wortmannin or Ly294002, could not decrease the cell invasion. In conclusion, PTEN could inhibit cell invasion even in the presence of the constitutively active EGFR; this inhibition depended on its protein phosphatase activity, partially by dephosphorylating FAK, but not depended on its lipid phosphatase activity.     

Differential gene expression analysis reveals generation of an autocrine loop by a mutant epidermal growth factor receptor in glioma cells

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene is commonly amplified and rearranged in glioblastoma multiforme leading to overexpression of wild-type and mutant EGFRs. Expression of wild-type EGFR ligands, such as transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) or heparin-binding EGF (HB-EGF), is also often increased in gliomas resulting in an autocrine loop that contributes to the growth autonomy of glioma cells. Glioblastoma multiformes express a characteristic EGFR mutant (EGFRvIII, de 2-7) that does not bind ligand, signals constitutively, and is more tumorigenic than the wild-type receptor. However, the downstream signals that mediate this increased tumorigenicity are not well understood. We hypothesized that signals induced specifically by EGFRvIII and not the wild-type receptor are more likely to mediate its increased tumorigenic activity and examined the gene expression profiles resulting from inducible expression of comparable levels of either wild-type EGFR or EGFRvIII in a U251-MG glioma cell line. Expression of EGFRvIII resulted in specific up-regulation of a small group of genes. Remarkably, all these genes, which include TGFA, HB-EGF, EPHA2, IL8, MAP4K4, FOSL1, EMP1, and DUSP6, influence signaling pathways known to play a key role in oncogenesis and function in interconnected networks. Increased expression of EGFRvIII-induced genes was validated by real-time PCR. The mutant receptor does not bind ligand, and EGFRvIII-induced expression of TGF-alpha and HB-EGF suggests that EGFRvIII plays a role in generating an autocrine loop using the wild-type EGFR in glioma. It also raises the possibility that EGFRvIII may signal, at least in part, through the wild-type receptor. Indeed, we show that inhibiting the activity of HB-EGF, a potent mitogen, with neutralizing antibodies reduces cell proliferation induced by expression of EGFRvIII. This suggests that the EGFRvIII-HB-EGF-wild-type EGFR autocrine loop plays an important role in signal transduction by EGFRvIII in glioma cells. We also show by immunohistochemistry that HB-EGF expression correlates with the presence of EGFRvIII in glioblastoma multiforme. Thus, our study provides a new insight into oncogenic signaling by EGFRvIII and improves our understanding of how autocrine loops are generated in glioma.     

High-grade glioma formation results from postnatal pten loss or mutant epidermal growth factor receptor expression in a transgenic mouse glioma model

High-grade gliomas are devastating brain tumors associated with a mean survival of <50 weeks. Two of the most common genetic changes observed in these tumors are overexpression/mutation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) vIII and loss of PTEN/MMAC1 expression. To determine whether somatically acquired EGFRvIII expression or Pten loss accelerates high-grade glioma development, we used a previously characterized RasB8 glioma-prone mouse strain, in which these specific genetic changes were focally introduced at 4 weeks of age. We show that both postnatal EGFRvIII expression and Pten inactivation in RasB8 mice potentiate high-grade glioma development. Moreover, we observe a concordant loss of Pten and EGFR overexpression in nearly all high-grade gliomas induced by either EGFRvIII introduction or Pten inactivation. This novel preclinical model of high-grade glioma will be useful in evaluating brain tumor therapies targeted to the pathways specifically dysregulated by EGFR expression or Pten loss.     

Modulation of growth and epidermal growth factor receptor activity by retinoic acid in human glioma cells

The growth-inhibitory activity of beta-all-trans-retinoic acid (RA) was examined on seven cultured human gliomas and cells derived from one normal brain. Response in monolayer cultures was heterogenous: three cell lines were completely resistant whereas five cell lines were growth inhibited with 50% inhibitory dose ranging from greater than 10(-5) to 1 x 10(-8) M. Two glioma cell lines capable of forming colonies in soft agar exhibited dose-dependent sensitivity to RA-induced growth inhibition, whereas another cell line was not affected by RA under either growth condition. Cell cycle analysis of the glial-derived cells has shown that the RA-sensitive cells accumulated in the G0-G1 phase. The cell surface expression of epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptors displayed by the various cells was either slightly increased or not affected by RA. In addition, the affinity of binding was slightly decreased in some sensitive cells. The activity of EGF receptor as assessed by immunocomplex-kinase assays revealed a dose-dependent decrease in autophosphorylation activity that appeared to correlate with the growth inhibition. The decrease in phosphokinase activity represented a dose-dependent inhibition of phosphorylation on tyrosine residues on EGF receptor as well as several other substrates. Furthermore, the autophosphorylation of either RA-treated or untreated EGF receptors occurred on similar amino acid residues. These results demonstrate that RA exhibits a heterogeneous growth-inhibitory activity against human glioma cells and suggest that the effects of RA may be mediated, at least in part, by modulation of EGF receptor phosphotyrosine kinase activity.     

Amplification and expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor gene in human glioma xenografts

Xenografts from eight malignant human gliomas were established in athymic mice and were used to study amplification and expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene. Tissue identity between biopsy and xenografts was confirmed by karyotypic profiles, which showed that each glioma xenograft retained structural abnormalities, including double minute chromosomes, present in the parent glioma. EGFR gene amplification was found in six of the eight glioma biopsies and their corresponding xenografts. Expression of the EGFR gene was measured by Scatchard analysis, affinity reactions, immunoprecipitations, Western immunoblots, and immunocytochemistry; significant expression of the EGFR gene was only detectable in xenografts with EGFR gene amplification. Moreover, five of the six xenografts with EGFR gene amplification demonstrated structural alterations of the EGFR gene, which was associated with low-molecular-weight EGFR proteins. These xenografts represent an excellent tissue source and in vivo model system for characterizing the epidermal growth factor receptor in malignant human gliomas.     

Increase of the epidermal growth factor receptor expression by interferon-beta

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) is expressed on both normal and malignant epithelial tissue. Recent efforts in cancer therapy use the EGF-R as a target for an antibody therapy. A further increase of the EGF-R expression possibly by interferon (IFN) could improve the efficacy of such an antibody therapy. The effects of IFN on the EGF-R and on the cell proliferation were first evaluated on a human squamous cell carcinoma cell line HLac 79. Several types of IFN were screened for their influence on the receptor expression by flow cytometric studies. IFN-beta caused a doubling of the measured EGF-R expression at a concentration of 100 IU/ml for 48 h. Scatchard analysis with I-125-EGF after IFN treatment showed a doubling of the EGF-R expression and a third of the receptor affinity compared to untreated cells. These alterations were associated with a decrease of the cell proliferation as measured by a bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) assay. Results were confirmed with xenografts on NMRI nu/nu mice. IFN-beta (intra tumoral) treated xenografts showed a significantly higher amount of EGF-R (393+/-59 fmol/mg protein) and significantly reduced tumour growth compared to untreated xenografts (262+/-51 fmol/mg protein). This study shows that IFN-beta results in an increase of the EGF-R expression in a carcinoma cell line and in xeno-grafts. Cell proliferation is decreased, resulting in reduced growth of the xenograft.     

Inhibition of the type III epidermal growth factor receptor variant mutant receptor by dominant-negative EGFR-CD533 enhances malignant glioma cell radiosensitivity.

PURPOSE: The commonly expressed variant epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), the type III EGFR variant (EGFRvIII), functions as an oncoprotein promoting neoplastic transformation and tumorigenicity. The role of EGFRvIII in cellular responses to genotoxic stress, such as ionizing radiation, is only minimally defined. Thus, we have investigated EGFRvIII as a potential modulator of cellular radiation responses and explored the feasibility of adenovirus (Ad)-mediated expression of dominant-negative EGFR-CD533 as a gene therapeutic approach for inhibiting EGFRvIII function in vitro and in vivo. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN AND RESULTS: EGFR-CD533 and EGFRvIII were expressed in vitro and in vivo in malignant U-373 MG glioma cells through transduction with an Ad vector, Ad-EGFR-CD533 and Ad-EGFRvIII, respectively. In vivo studies defined the importance of EGFRvIII as a modulator of radiation responses, demonstrating a 2.6-fold activation of EGFRvIII in U-373 malignant glioma tumors. Concomitant expression of EGFR-CD533 inhibited the radiation-induced activation of EGFRvIII in vitro and completely abolished the enhanced clonogenic survival conferred by EGFRvIII. The ability of EGFR-CD533 to inhibit EGFRvIII function was further confirmed in vivo through complete inhibition of EGFRvIII-mediated increased tumorigenicity and radiation-induced activation of EGFRvIII. Growth delay assays with U-373 xenograft tumors demonstrated that the expression of EGFR-CD533 significantly enhanced radiosensitivity of tumor cells under conditions of intrinsic and Ad-mediated EGFRvIII expression. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that EGFRvIII confers significant radioresistance to tumor cells through enhanced cytoprotective responses, and we have demonstrated that dominant-negative EGFR-CD533 effectively inhibits EGFRvIII function. These data affirm the broad potential of EGFR-CD533 to radiosensitize human malignant glioma cells.     

Radiosensitization of malignant glioma cells through overexpression of dominant-negative epidermal growth factor receptor.

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) plays an important role in neoplastic growth control of malignant gliomas. We have demonstrated that radiation activates EGFR Tyr-phosphorylation (EGFR Tyr-P) and the proliferation of surviving human carcinoma cells, a likely mechanism of accelerated cellular repopulation, a major cytoprotective response after radiation. We now investigate the importance of radiation-induced activation of EGFR on the radiosensitivity of the human malignant glioma cells U-87 MG and U-373 MG. The function of EGFR was inhibited through a genetic approach of transducing cells with an Adenovirus (Ad) vector containing dominant-negative (DN) EGFR-CD533 (Ad-EGFR-CD533) at efficiencies of 85-90%. The resulting cells are referred to as U-87-EGFR-CD533 and U-373-EGFR-CD533. After irradiation at 2 Gy, both of the cell lines exhibited a mean 3-fold increase in EGFR Tyr-P. The expression of EGFR-CD533 completely inhibited the radiation-induced activation of EGFR. In clonogenic survival assays after a single radiation exposure, the radiation dose for a survival of 37% (D37) for U-87-EGFR-CD533 cells was 1.4- to 1.5-fold lower, relative to cells transduced with AdLacZ or untransduced U-87 MG cells. This effect was amplified with repeated radiation exposures (3 x 2 Gy) yielding a D37 ratio of 1.8-2.0. In clonogenic survival studies with U-373 MG cells, the radiosensitizing effect of EGFR-CD533 was similar. Furthermore, in vivo studies with U-87 MG xenografts confirmed the effect of EGFR-CD533 on tumor radiosensitization (dose enhancement ratio, 1.8). We conclude that inhibition of EGFR function via Ad-mediated gene transfer of EGFR-CD533 results in significant radiosensitization. As underlying mechanism, we suggest the disruption of a major cytoprotective response involving EGFR and its downstream effectors, such as mitogen-activated protein kinase. The experiments demonstrate for the first time that radiosensitization of malignant glioma cells through disruption of EGFR function may be achieved by genetic therapy approaches.     

Radioimmunodetection of human glioma xenografts by monoclonal antibody to epidermal growth factor receptor

Murine IgG2a monoclonal antibody (MAb) 425 specifically detects epidermal growth factor receptor, which is expressed on human gliomas and tumors of other tissue origin but rarely on normal brain tissues, and not at all on bone marrow and peripheral blood cells. 131I-labeled F(ab')2 fragments of this MAb injected into nude mice grafted with U-87 MG glioma cells preferentially localized in tumor tissue compared to normal mouse tissues, as determined by differential tissue counting of radioactivity. The mean tumor-to-tissue ratios of radioactivity ranged between 8.2 (blood) and 55.8 (muscle) at 2 days after the injection of 15 muCi of 131I-425 F(ab')2/mouse. Radiolabeled fragments of an anti-hepatitis virus IgG2a MAb did not localize in tumors. The localization index derived from the ratios of specific antibody to indifferent antibody in tumor tissue relative to blood was 9.94 at 2 days following the MAb injection. The labeled MAb did not localize in a xenograft of colorectal cancer tumor, which does not express the epidermal growth factor receptor. Tumors could be located by whole-body gamma-scintigraphy without background subtraction following the injection of 100 muCi of radiolabeled MAb 425 F(ab')2 fragments. The data suggest that MAb 425 is a likely candidate for clinical diagnostic and radioimmunotherapy trials.