A mechanism-based antioxidant approach for the reduction of skin carcinogenesis

Studies in our laboratories showed that overexpression of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) reduced tumor incidence in a multistage skin carcinogenesis mouse model. However, reduction of MnSOD by heterozygous knockout of the MnSOD gene (MnSOD KO) did not lead to an increase in tumor incidence, because a reduction of MnSOD enhanced both cell proliferation and apoptosis. The present study extends our previous studies in the MnSOD KO mice and shows that apoptosis in mouse epidermis occurred prior to cell proliferation (6 versus 24 hours) when treated with tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). To investigate the possibility that a timed administration of SOD following apoptosis but before proliferation may lead to suppression of tumor incidence, we applied a SOD mimetic (MnTE-2-PyP(5+)) 12 hours after each TPA treatment. Biochemical studies showed that MnTE-2-PyP(5+) suppressed the level of protein carbonyls and reduced the activity of activator protein-1 and the level of proliferating cellular nuclear antigen, without reducing the activity of p53 or DNA fragmentation following TPA treatment. Histologic examination confirmed that MnTE-2-PyP(5+) suppressed mitosis without interfering with apoptosis. Remarkably, the incidence and multiplicity of skin tumors were reduced in mice that received MnTE-2-PyP(5+) before cell proliferation. These results show a novel strategy for an antioxidant approach to cancer intervention.     

Increased skin carcinogenesis in a keratinocyte directed thioredoxin-1 transgenic mouse

Thioredoxin-1 is a low molecular weight redox protein that protects cells against oxidant damage. Thioredoxin-1 levels are increased in the epidermal layer of sun-damaged human skin. Thioredoxin-1 levels are also increased in several human primary tumors where its expression is associated with increased tumor cell proliferation, decreased apoptosis and aggressive tumor growth. We have investigated whether increased thioredoxin-1 levels in skin can lead to increased tumor formation using transgenic mice with mouse thioredoxin-1 expressed in keratinocytes under the control of the keratinocyte-14 (K14) promoter. Thioredoxin-1 protein expression was increased 2-fold in the keratinocyte layer of the transgenic mice. The skin was macroscopically and histologically normal but in the two-stage model of carcinogenesis using topical dimethylbenzanthracene (DMBA) as an initiator and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) as a promoting agent, there was a 6-fold increase in the number of papillomas per mouse and a 3-fold increase in papilloma size in the K14 thioredoxin-1 transgenic mice compared with non-transgenic littermates. Thus, increased thioredoxin-1 in keratinocytes acts as an enhancer of carcinogenesis in the DMBA/TPA two-stage model of skin carcinogenesis in mice.     

Raised expression of the antiapoptotic protein ped/pea-15 increases susceptibility to chemically induced skin tumor development

ped/pea-15 is a cytosolic protein performing a broad antiapoptotic function. We show that, upon DMBA/TPA-induced skin carcinogenesis, transgenic mice overexpressing ped/pea-15 (Tg(ped/pea-15)) display early development of papillomas and a four-fold increase in papilloma number compared to the nontransgenic littermates (P<0.001). The malignant conversion frequency was 24% for the Tg(ped/pea-15) mice and only 5% in controls (P<0.01). The isolated application of TPA, but not that of DMBA, was sufficient to reversibly upregulate ped/pea-15 in both untransformed skin and cultured keratinocytes. ped/pea-15 protein levels were also increased in DMBA/TPA-induced papillomas of both Tg(ped/pea-15) and control mice. Isolated TPA applications induced Caspase-3 activation and apoptosis in nontransformed mouse epidermal tissues. The induction of both Caspase-3 and apoptosis by TPA were four-fold inhibited in the skin of the Tg(ped/pea-15) compared to the nontransgenic mice, accompanied by a similarly sized reduction in TPA-induced JNK and p38 stimulation and by constitutive induction of cytoplasmic ERK activity in the transgenics. ped/pea-15 expression was stably increased in cell lines from DMBA/TPA-induced skin papillomas and carcinomas, paralleled by protection from TPA apoptosis. In the A5 spindle carcinoma cell line, antisense inhibition of ped/pea-15 expression simultaneously rescued sensitivity to TPA-induced Caspase-3 function and apoptosis. The antisense also reduced A5 cell ability to grow in semisolid media by 65% (P<0.001) and increased by three-fold tumor latency time (P<0.01). Thus, the expression levels of ped/pea-15 control Caspase-3 function and epidermal cell apoptosis in vivo and determine susceptibility to skin tumor development.     

Papilloma development is delayed in osteopontin-null mice: implicating an antiapoptosis role for osteopontin

Osteopontin is a secreted, adhesive glycoprotein, whose expression is markedly elevated in several types of cancer and premalignant lesions, implicating its association with carcinogenesis. To test the hypothesis that induced osteopontin is involved in tumor promotion in vivo, osteopontin-null and wild-type (WT) mice were subjected to a two-stage skin chemical carcinogenesis protocol. Mice were initiated with 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) applied on to the dorsal skin followed by twice weekly application of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) for 27 weeks. Osteopontin-null mice showed a marked decrease both in tumor/papilloma incidence and multiplicity compared with WT mice. Osteopontin is minimally expressed in normal epidermis, but on treatment with TPA its expression is highly induced. To determine the possible mechanism(s) by which osteopontin regulates tumor development, we examined cell proliferation and cell survival. Epidermis from osteopontin-null and WT mice treated with TPA thrice or with DMBA followed by TPA for 11 weeks showed a similar increase in epidermal hyperplasia, suggesting that osteopontin does not mediate TPA-induced cell proliferation. Bromodeoxyuridine staining of papillomas and adjacent epidermis showed no difference in cell proliferation between groups. However, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling analyses indicated a greater number of apoptotic cells in DMBA-treated skin and papillomas from osteopontin-null versus WT mice. These studies are the first to show that induction of the matricellular protein osteopontin facilitates DMBA/TPA-induced cutaneous carcinogenesis most likely through prevention of apoptosis.     

Enhanced sensitivity to tumor growth and development in multistage skin carcinogenesis by transforming growth factor-α-induced epidermal growth factor receptor activation but not p53 inactivation

Transforming growth factor-α (TGFα) can stimulate keratinocyte proliferation and function as an autocrine tumor promoter in 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-initiated TGFα-transgenic mouse skin. In this study, we examined the effect of ectopic TGFα transgene expression on skin tumor growth and progression after DMBA initiation in the presence of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). Both the multiplicity and size of skin tumors arising in TGFα-transgenic mice were significantly higher than those of the nontransgenic parental CD-1 strain. There were more dysplastic papillomas and squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) in the transgenic animals as well. ProTGFα protein was expressed in transgenic papillomas, but mature TGFα was not detected. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) appeared to be downregulated and was associated with enhanced tyrosine phosphorylation of several substrates in TGFα-transgenic mouse tumors. Characteristic codon 61 mutations in the Ha-ras gene were found in most of the papillomas and SCCs induced by DMBA and TPA in transgenic as well as nontransgenic mice. However, no p53 gene mutations were found in any skin tumors from either transgenic or control animals. Analysis of cellular proliferation in both DMBA-TPA-induced papillomas and in skin 48 h after TPA treatment alone revealed significantly more DNA synthesis in TGFα-transgenic mice relative to controls. These results demonstrate that TGFα, through EGFR overstimulation, can act synergistically with TPA to induce the formation, growth, and development of DMBA-initiated skin tumors containing classic Ha-ras gene mutations but not p53 gene inactivation. Mol. Carcinog. 18:160–170, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

1 This article is a US Government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.

     

Dietary fat effects on the initiation and promotion of two-stage skin tumorigenesis in the SENCAR mouse

We investigated the influence of dietary corn oil on initiation of skin tumors in SENCAR mice with 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) (10 nmol at 8 to 9 wk of age) and the promotion of these tumors with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) (3.2 nmol twice weekly for 20 wk). Diet high in corn oil (24.6%) was fed, in comparison with control diet (5%), to mice during two time schedules: (a) high-fat diet was fed preceding and for 1 wk following DMBA to assess the effects of high corn oil diet on initiation; and (b) high-fat diet was fed starting at the time of the first TPA treatment (1 wk following DMBA initiation) until the end of the experiment to assess effects of high corn oil diet on promotion. Mice were trained to consume equivalent caloric allotments of the low- and high-fat diets to ensure that the observed effects on tumor development were for dietary fat at constant calorie intake. Feeding high corn oil diet during DMBA treatment did not influence the incidence of skin papilloma or carcinoma, but the number of papillomas per effective mouse was reduced in mice fed the high-fat diet during initiation. Consumption of the high corn oil diet during and following TPA treatment resulted in an increase in the incidence of papillomas up until Wk 14 of the experiment, an increase in the number of papillomas per effective mouse throughout the experiment, and an increase in the number of carcinomas per effective mouse during Wk 25 to 34. However, cumulative carcinoma yield (Wk 25-44) did not differ between the diet groups. Dietary treatment did not influence food consumption, body weight, or survival in the mice treated with DMBA and TPA. Northern blot hybridization studies were carried out on RNA purified from tumors of high- and low-fat mice to determine if diet influenced the pattern of Ha-ras oncogene expression. The results of this experiment indicated that elevated levels of Ha-ras-specific RNA, in comparison with normal epidermal RNA, were present in papillomas and carcinomas from DMBA-initiated, TPA-promoted mice irrespective of the diet the mice were fed.     

FVB/N mice: an inbred strain sensitive to the chemical induction of squamous cell carcinomas in the skin

The widespread use of FVB/N mice for the establishment of transgeniclines containing active oncogenes suggested the importance oftesting the parent FVB/N mice for sensitivity to experimentalcarcinogenesis. After initiation of mouse skin by a single treatmentwith 7, 12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) and promotion by20 weekly applications of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate(TPA), the skin tumor incidence was compared in FVB/N mice,TPA-sensitive (SENCAR and CD-I) and TPA-resistant mice (BALB/cand C57BL/6). Initiation by 25 µg DMBA followed by promotionwith a low dose of TPA (2 µg/week) induced one or morepapillomas in only 25% of FVB/N mice, compared with 100% inSENCAR, 53% in CD-I, 17% in BALB/c and 0% in C57BL/6 mice. Ata more effective dose of TPA (5 /ig/week), FVB/N mice initiatedby 5, 25 or 100µg DMBA developed 3.4, 6.9 and 11.8 papillomasper mouse. In contrast, the incidence of squamous cell carcinomas(SCCs) (17–18/30 mice) did not increase with DMBA dose.TPA promotion of non-initiated mice induced only six papillomas,but three progressed to SCCs, a high rate of malignant conversion.Skin tumor induction by 20 weekly treatments with 10 µgDMBA produced few papillomas, but 50.0% of the papillomas progressedto carcinomas in FVB/N mice, compared with 9.15% in SENCAR,37.5% in CD-I, 23.1% in BALB/c and 15.0% in C57CL/6 mice. Thefirst carcinomas appeared after 14 weeks in FVB/N, 24 weeksin SENCAR, 26 weeks in CD-I and C57BL/6 and 34 weeks in BALB/cmice. Thus, FVB/N mice develop an unusually high incidence ofSCCs after treatment with repeated DMBA, DMBA initiation-TPApromotion and even TPA alone.     

Protective role of cathepsin L in mouse skin carcinogenesis

Lysosomal cysteine protease cathepsin L (CTSL) is believed to play a role in tumor progression and is considered a marker for clinically invasive tumors. Studies from our laboratory using the classical mouse skin carcinogenesis model, with 7,12‐dimethyl‐benz[a]anthracene (DMBA) for initiation and 12‐O‐tetradecanoylphorbol‐13‐acetate (TPA) for promotion, showed that expression of CTSL is increased in papillomas and squamous cell carcinomas (SCC). We also carried out carcinogenesis studies using Ctsl‐deficient nackt (nkt) mutant mice on three different inbred backgrounds. Unexpectedly, the multiplicity of papillomas was significantly higher in Ctsl‐deficient than in wild‐type mice on two unrelated backgrounds. Topical applications of TPA or DMBA alone to the skin of nkt/nkt mice did not induce papillomas, and there was no increase in spontaneous tumors in nkt/nkt mice on any of the three inbred backgrounds. Reduced epidermal cell proliferation in Ctsl‐deficient nkt/nkt mice after TPA treatment suggested that they are not more sensitive than wild‐type mice to TPA promotion. We also showed that deficiency of CTSL delays terminal differentiation of keratinocytes, and we propose that decreased elimination of initiated cells is at least partially responsible for the increased papilloma formation in the nackt model. Mol. Carcinog. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Analysis of c-Ha-ras gene mutations in skin tumors induced in carcinogenesis-susceptible and carcinogenesis-resistant mice by different two-stage protocols or tumor promoter alone

In the present study we describe the molecular analysis of c-Ha-ras gene mutations in 47 papillomas and 17 carcinomas developed in two lines of mice, carcinogenesis-susceptible (Car-S) and carcinogenesis-resistant (Car-R), selectively bred for extreme susceptibility or resistance to chemical skin carcinogenesis initiated and promoted with different doses of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). This study also presents the analysis of c-Ha-ras gene mutations in 22 papillomas and 22 carcinomas in Car-S mice initiated with DMBA and promoted with benzoyl peroxide (BzPo) and in seven papillomas and one carcinoma from a group of uniniated Car-S mice that received only BzPo treatment. The data showed that a A(182)-->T transversion in the c-Ha-ras gene was present in 100% and 81% of the skin tumors developed in Car-S and Car-R mice, respectively, after DMBA initiation and TPA promotion, suggesting that differences in genetic susceptibility can influence the frequency of c-Ha-ras mutations in the skin tumors produced. The same A(182)-->T mutation with an incidence of 68% was found in papillomas from DMBA-initiated and BzPo-promoted Car-S mice. The difference in the mutation frequency between DMBA/BzPo and DMBA/TPA papillomas suggested that the promotion step contributes to the final mutation pattern. The tumor induction experiment with BzPo alone showed that this compound can induce tumor development in 26% of Car-S mice, and the molecular analysis of the tumors showed a broad mutation spectrum, including mutations in codons 12, 13, and 61 of the c-Ha-ras gene. Mol. Carcinog. 30:111-118, 2001.     

Suppressive function of RKTG on chemical carcinogen-induced skin carcinogenesis in mouse

Raf kinase trapping to Golgi (RKTG) is a newly characterized negative regulator of the Ras-Raf-MEK-ERK signaling pathway via sequestrating Raf-1 to the Golgi apparatus. However, little is known about the physiological functions of RKTG in mitogenic pathway and carcinogenesis. Here, we describe a suppressive role of RKTG in skin carcinogenesis by analyzing chemical carcinogen-induced tumorigenesis. Epidermis hyperplasia and proliferation are increased in RKTG-deficient mice (RKTG(-/-)) after acute treatment with 7, 12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). Using a two-stage DMBA/TPA carcinogenesis protocol on mouse skin, the number and size of papillomas are increased in RKTG(-/-) mice, accompanied by shortened tumor latency and enhanced keratinocyte proliferation. The regression of the carcinogen-induced tumors is also prolonged in RKTG(-/-) mice. Consistently, the levels of Raf-1 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase phosphorylation in primary keratinocytes as well as skin tumors are elevated when RKTG is disrupted. Collectively, our results indicate that RKTG has a suppressive activity in chemical carcinogen-induced mitogenesis and tumor formation in mouse skin.     

Tumorigenesis facilitated by Pten deficiency in the skin: evidence of p53-Pten complex formation on the initiation phase

Pten, a tumor suppressor gene, is mutated in various human cancers and in hereditary cancer syndromes, such as Cowden disease. We have previously developed a knockout mouse in which Pten is specifically disrupted in the skin, resulting in hyperproliferation and spontaneous tumorigenesis of the skin keratinocytes. In this study, we further clarified the effects of Pten deficiency in tumorigenesis, by using a two-step model in intact skin of Pten knockout mouse. Although the conventional protocol requires serial exposures to DMBA and TPA, mice deficient for Pten developed skin papilloma within 6 weeks after a single exposure to DMBA, indicating that loss of Pten has a tumor-promoting effect. Serial exposure to DMBA-TPA ointments produced 10-fold more papillomas in the skin of knockout mice than in the wild-type counterpart, suggesting an increased rate of initiation. Therefore, we precisely examined the effect of DMBA. This treatment was highly apoptotic in wild-type mice, whereas the number of apoptotic cells was diminished in Pten-deficient skin. Moreover, primary keratinocytes isolated from Pten-deficient mice were also resistant to the apoptotic effect of DMBA. The status of p53, Pten proteins and downstream targets of p53, such as p21, 14-3-3, and Reprimo, were also examined, and we found that accumulation of p53 protein and up-regulation of p53 targets were delayed in Pten-knockout skin. These observations suggest that Pten is involved in rapid recruitment of p53 in the tumor initiation phase.     

Ras mutation promotes p53 activation and apoptosis of skin keratinocytes

Previous studies in our laboratory demonstrated that 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene/12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (DMBA/TPA) treatment induced apoptosis and mitochondrial translocation of the tumor suppressor p53 in a mouse skin carcinogenesis model, suggesting that oncogenic versus cell death signaling involve a common mediator. Mutational activation of oncogenic Ras is an early event and has been demonstrated to play a critical role in skin carcinogenesis. A malignant skin keratinocyte cell line (308), which carries a H-ras mutation at codon 61, showed elevated p53 levels, increased caspase 3 activity and enhanced apoptosis after TPA treatment. In contrast, the non-malignant counterpart (C50) showed undetectable levels of p53 and less apoptosis than 308 cells similarly treated. Inhibition of NADPH-oxidase (NOX) by diphenyleneiodonium suppressed p53 activation and apoptosis in 308 cells, linking Ras mutation to NOX-induced p53 activation, which was further supported by the finding that siRNA to Rac1 inhibited p53 activation after TPA treatment. Application of DPI to DMBA-initiated skin tissue significantly blocked TPA-mediated increased p53 levels and reduced apoptosis in skin epidermal tissues. Taken together, our results suggest that NOX bridges oncogenic activation and p53 mitochondrial translocation to apoptosis in the multistage chemical-induced skin carcinogenesis model.     

CD34 expression by hair follicle stem cells is required for skin tumor development in mice

The cell surface marker CD34 marks mouse hair follicle bulge cells, which have attributes of stem cells, including quiescence and multipotency. Using a CD34 knockout (KO) mouse, we tested the hypothesis that CD34 may participate in tumor development in mice because hair follicle stem cells are thought to be a major target of carcinogens in the two-stage model of mouse skin carcinogenesis. Following initiation with 200 nmol 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA), mice were promoted with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) for 20 weeks. Under these conditions, CD34KO mice failed to develop papillomas. Increasing the initiating dose of DMBA to 400 nmol resulted in tumor development in the CD34KO mice, albeit with an increased latency and lower tumor yield compared with the wild-type (WT) strain. DNA adduct analysis of keratinocytes from DMBA-initiated CD34KO mice revealed that DMBA was metabolically activated into carcinogenic diol epoxides at both 200 and 400 nmol. Chronic exposure to TPA revealed that CD34KO skin developed and sustained epidermal hyperplasia. However, CD34KO hair follicles typically remained in telogen rather than transitioning into anagen growth, confirmed by retention of bromodeoxyuridine-labeled bulge stem cells within the hair follicle. Unique localization of the hair follicle progenitor cell marker MTS24 was found in interfollicular basal cells in TPA-treated WT mice, whereas staining remained restricted to the hair follicles of CD34KO mice, suggesting that progenitor cells migrate into epidermis differently between strains. These data show that CD34 is required for TPA-induced hair follicle stem cell activation and tumor formation in mice.     

Sensitivity of HRA/Skh hairless mice to initiation/promotion of skin tumors by chemical treatment

HRA/Skh hairless mice were investigated for their sensitivity to initiation and promotion by chemicals because of (a) the known sensitivity of these mice to photocarcinogenesis, (b) their low background papilloma incidence (2/3000 mice under 1 year of age) and (c) ease of treatment and identification of tumors, in the absence of hair. Employing a variety of treatments with 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) as initiator and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) as promoter, it was found that the strain was susceptible to both initiation and promotion. Papilloma incidence was at least equivalent to that observed with other sensitive mouse strains. Following initiation with 2.56 micrograms DMBA, papilloma development was promoter-concentration-dependent, resulting in 22.5 papillomas/mouse at 20 weeks in animals administered 5 micrograms TPA. In the absence of DMBA initiation, TPA treatment was weakly carcinogenic in HRA/Skh mice. This treatment induced a dose-dependent increase in papillomas, one of which progressed to a keratoacanthoma-like tumor after 65 weeks. These results show that HRA/Skh mice are highly sensitive, not only to UV carcinogenesis, but also to chemical initiation and promotion of skin papillomas.     

Modulation of the co-promoting activity of gamma interferon in SENCAR and C57BL/6 mouse skin by difluoromethylornithine and the scheduling and duration of interferon treatment

The murine skin multistage carcinogenesis model was used to characterize the co-promoting and tumor progressing activities of i.p. administered recombinant DNA-derived murine gamma interferon (rMuIFN-gamma). The dorsal skins of female SENCAR mice were topically initiated with 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) and promoted twice a week for 20 weeks with 1 microgram of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). Doses of rMuIFN-gamma that had no effect on papilloma multiplicities when administered 1 day prior to TPA treatment increased the numbers of papillomas per mouse by 33-38% when administered immediately prior (zero time) to TPA application. A minimum of 6 weeks of co-treatment with TPA and rMuIFN-gamma (zero time) were necessary for demonstration of rMuIFN-gamma-dependent co-promotion. The ad libitum administration of either 0.25 or 1% (w/v) solutions of alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) in the drinking water inhibited by 90% the TPA-dependent elevation of epidermal ornithine decarboxylase activity but had minimal effect on papilloma multiplicities in TPA-promoted mice. However, both doses of DFMO completely suppressed rMuIFN-gamma-dependent co-promotion. Carcinoma incidence and multiplicities by weeks 46-48 of the promotion-progression period were statistically indistinguishable for initiated mice treated with TPA, TPA + DFMO, TPA + IFN-gamma or TPA + DFMO + IFN-gamma. Similarly, i.p. administration of rMuIFN-gamma to papilloma-bearing mice in a tumor progression study, with and without simultaneous topical TPA treatment, did not affect carcinoma latency or carcinoma multiplicities. C57BL/6 mice initiated with DMBA developed few papillomas (0.2 paps/mouse) after 19 weeks of TPA promotion. The i.p. administration of rMuIFN-gamma to C57BL/6 mice at the time of TPA treatment, at doses that were co-promoting in SENCAR mice, did not increase papilloma multiplicities. Collectively, our studies suggest that the co-promoting activity of rMuIFN-gamma is exceptionally sensitive to inhibition by DFMO and dependent upon the scheduling and duration of rMuIFN-gamma treatment, and the mouse strain/stock employed for the studies.     

Reduced excision repair cross-complementing 1 expression associates with enhanced papilloma formation and fibroblast transformation after genetic disruption of secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine

SPARC (secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine)/ osteonectin/BM-40 is a matricellular protein implicated in development, cell transformation and tumorigenesis. We have examined the role of SPARC in cell transformation induced chemically with 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) and 12-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) in embryonic fibroblasts and in the skin of mice. Embryonic fibroblasts from SPARCnull mice showed increases in cell proliferation, enhanced sensitivity to DMBA and a higher number of DMBA/TPA-induced transformation foci. The number of DMBA-DNA adducts was 9 times higher in SPARCnull fibroblasts and their stability was lower than wild-type fibroblasts, consistent with a reduction in excision repair cross-complementing 1 the nucleotide excision repair enzyme in these cells. The SPARCnull mice showed an increase in both the speed and number of papillomas forming after topical administration of DMBA/TPA to the skin. These papillomas showed reduced growth and reduced progression to a more malignant phenotype, indicating that the effect of SPARC on tumorigenesis depends upon the transformation stage and/or tissue context. These data reinforce a growing number of observations in which SPARC has shown opposite effects on different tumor types/stages.     

Deficiency of NRH:quinone oxidoreductase 2 increases susceptibility to 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene and benzo(a)pyrene-induced skin carcinogenesis

NRH:Quinone oxidoreductase 2 (NQO2) is an enzyme that catalyzes the reductive metabolism of quinones. C57BL/6 NQO2-/- mice lacking NQO2 gene expression were generated in our laboratory. The dorsal skin of NQO2-deficient mice was exposed to 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) or benzo(a)pyrene alone (complete carcinogen) or with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) (initiation/promotion model) to determine the in vivo role of NQO2 in chemical carcinogenesis. The NQO2-/- mice showed significantly increased tumor frequency with DMBA + TPA when compared with their wild-type littermates. The benzo(a)pyrene + TPA also showed increase in tumor incidence in NQO2-/- mice but to a less extent than DMBA. DMBA alone resulted in low frequency of tumor development with no difference in susceptibility between wild-type and NQO2-/- mice. Benzo(a)pyrene alone failed to induce tumors in either wild-type or NQO2-/- mice. Histologic analysis of the NQO2-/- mice tumors demonstrated proliferative activity. The treatment of NQO2-/- mice skin with benzo(a)pyrene failed to significantly increase tumor suppressor protein p53 and p53-regulated growth-related protein p21 and proapoptotic protein Bax as observed in case of wild-type mice. These results demonstrate that NQO2 protects against DMBA- and benzo(a)pyrene-induced skin carcinogenesis and suggest that NQO2 protection might be against tumor promotion. The results also suggest that lack of induction of p53, p21, and Bax proteins might contribute to increased sensitivity of NQO2-/- mice skin to benzo(a)pyrene carcinogenicity.     

Potentiation of tumor formation by topical administration of 15-deoxy-delta12,14-prostaglandin J2 in a model of skin carcinogenesis

The effect of prostaglandins on the development of papillomas has been investigated in mice receiving prostaglandins E2 (PGE2) or the cyclopentenone 15-deoxy-delta(12,14)-PGJ2 (15dPGJ2) topically, using the 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-induced tetradecanoylphorbol acetate (TPA)-promoted model of skin carcinogenesis. The presence of 15dPGJ2 during DMBA and TPA treatment inhibited apoptosis and increased the rate, number, size and vascularization of the papillomas, some of them progressing into carcinomas. Moreover, skin sections from mice treated for one week with DMBA and 15dPGJ2 showed a much reduced rate of apoptotic cells, and an enhanced expression of vascular epithelial growth factor when compared with animals receiving DMBA, with or without PGE2. The analysis of molecular events in the MCA3D keratinocyte cell line showed that 15dPGJ2 activated Ras and improved cell viability by inhibiting DMBA-dependent apoptosis. In addition to this, cell adhesion was impaired in MCA3D keratinocytes co-treated with 15dPGJ2 and DMBA, at the same time when the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) was observed under these conditions. These effects mediated by 15dPGJ2 might contribute to understand the role of COX-2 metabolites in carcinogenesis, leading to an increase of cell viability after mutagenic injury and therefore in the progression of tumors.