Changes in lactate dehydrogenase enzyme pattern in Chinese hamster cells infected and transformed with Simian virus 40.

The lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) isozyme patterns of consecutive passages of Chinese hamster embryo cultures were monitored. At early passages the population displayed two LDH bands, M4 and M3H; however, at higher passages the cultures exhibited M2H2, M2H, and M4. When primary cultures of Chinese hamster embryo cells were infected with simian virus 40 (SV40), no change in the LDH pattern was observed; however, the total activity of LDH increased. Twenty-three of 25 transformed colonies isolated from SV40-infected primary cells by their ability to grow in methyl cellulose produced only M4 or M4-M3H isozymes bands. Four of the SV40-transformed clones that produced only the M4 isozyme were tested for LDH activity and found to have activities 2.5 to 3 times greater than the control cells. Chinese hamster kidney epithelial cells transformed with SV40 virus had a decrease in the H subunit production, from 57 to 31%, compared with normal kidney epithelial cells. This decrease in H subunit production led to an increase in the cathode-migrating isozymes. Therefore, a shift to the cathode-migrating isozyme was observed in SV40-transformed cells. This change in LDH pattern might represent a reversion to the enzyme pattern present in fetal cells.     

Production of plasminogen activator by a primary HSV-2-induced hamster fibrosarcoma and its in vivo derived sublines

The plasminogen activator (PA) content of a primary HSV-2-induced hamster fibrosarcoma and sublines derived from its in vivo metastases was investigated using the indirect 125I-labeled fibrin plate method. Fresh tissue culture lines established from primary HSV-2-333-2-26 tumors were shown to produce levels of PA similar to sublines derived from lung or kidney foci that developed after resection of primary tumors. In comparison, normal hamster embryo fibroblast (NHEF) and baby hamster kidney cells produced little or no PA, although baby hamster lung fibroblasts produced intermediate levels of PA. In addition, no correlation was found between PA levels of the sublines and their ability to metastasize from subcutaneous tumors, although tumor cell lines were shown to produce significantly more PA than normal cells.     

Relative cytotoxicity of 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine and 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine 5'-monophosphate

The relative cytotoxicity of 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine and 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine 5'-monophosphate (ara-AMP) were compared using wild-type and adenosine kinase (AK)-deficient baby hamster kidney somatic cell mutants. The cytotoxicity of ara-AMP to baby hamster kidney cells was dependent on the presence of AK activity since AK-deficient mutants were resistant to ara-AMP. On an equimolar basis, ara-AMP was consistently less cytotoxic than was 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine to wild-type and AK-deficient baby hamster kidney mutant cells. These findings are consistent with the common view that ara-AMP molecules do not enter mammalian cells as an intact nucleotide. Presumably, ara-AMP molecules were hydrolyzed by the nonspecific phosphatases and 5'-nucleotidase found in the serum or by the ecto-5'-nucleotidase on the outer surface of the membrane and only enter the mammalian cells as 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine.     

Overexpression of human topoisomerase I in baby hamster kidney cells: hypersensitivity of clonal isolates to camptothecin.

The 3645-base pair human topoisomerase I complementary DNA (cDNA) clone isolated by D'Arpa et al. (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 85:2543-2547, 1988) and a mutated version of the cDNA encoding a protein with phenylalanine instead of tyrosine at position 723 have been overexpressed 2- to 5-fold in stably transfected baby hamster kidney cells. The overexpressed proteins are the same size as the topoisomerase I present in Hela cells, indicating that the cDNA clone contains the complete topoisomerase I coding sequence. Some human colon carcinoma cells have increased levels of topoisomerase I and are hypersensitive to the drug camptothecin. The overexpressed wild-type topoisomerase I does not affect the cell growth or morphology of the baby hamster kidney cells, suggesting that elevated levels of topoisomerase I alone are not sufficient to cause cell transformation. However, the overexpressed wild-type protein is active, as shown by the hypersensitivity of clonal cell lines to camptothecin. The mutant form of topoisomerase I is enzymatically inactive by two criteria. First, extracts of Escherichia coli cells carrying the mutant cDNA contain no activity capable of relaxing superhelical DNA under conditions where activity is easily detectable in extracts from cells containing the wild-type cDNA. Second, baby hamster kidney cells stably transfected by the mutant cDNA are no more sensitive to camptothecin than control untransfected cells. These results indicate that tyrosine 723 is essential for enzyme activity and are consistent with predictions based on homology comparisons with the yeast enzymes, that this is the active-site tyrosine in the human topoisomerase I.     

Presence of common surface antigens(s) on endodermal tumors and embryonal tissues of rats, hamsters and mice.

Antiserum against yolk-sac carcinoma of rat was prepared in rabbits. After appropriate absorption in vitro or in vivo this antiserum was examined on different tumors and normal tissues or rat, hamster and mouse. The methods used were indirect immunofluorescence and indirect immunoperoxidase staining and cytotoxicity tests. The immune serum was found to react with the cell membrane of different rat and hamster yolk-sac carcinomas. It reacted also with the cell surface of rat hepatoma cells. By absorption on hyalin and blocking with amniotic fluid it was shown that the antigen was neither a basement membrane component nor alpha-fetoprotein. The antiserum was cytotoxic to yolk-sac carcinoma and hepatoma cells. The immune reaction was limited to the cell membrane, as observed in immunofluorescence and in immunoperoxidase staining. The specificity of the antiserum was proved by cross-absorptions with various tumor lines and by removing its activity with the soluble fraction of yolk-sac carcinoma cells. Non-endodermal rat and hamster tumor lines did not react with the anti-yolk-sac carcinoma immune serum. Most normal adult tissues, including spermatozoa, were negative, but a positive reaction was observed in ovaries and on glandular cells of the uterus. In embryonal tissues this surface antigen(s) was detected in the endoderm of 8-day-old rat embryos 7-day-old mouse embryos and in yolk-sac endoderm of both species. The data indicate that the antigen(s) is associated with endodermal differentiation.     

Mouse embryonic transforming growth factors related to those isolated from tumor cells

Growth factors with the two characteristic properties of sarcoma growth factor, the ability to stimulate anchorage-independent growth of normal mouse or rat fibroblasts and the ability to compete with 125I-labeled epidermal growth factor for receptor binding, can be isolated from 12- to 13-day-old normal mouse embryos of various strains. Two size classes of the transforming factor from embryo cells can be isolated with apparent molecular weights of 20,000 and 10,000. The lower-molecular-weight factor has been purified several hundred-fold and has the same properties as the peptides with a molecular weight of 10,000 produced by mouse sarcoma virus-transformed 3T3 cells. Whole-mouse embryos contain approximately 10% as much sarcoma growth factor per g of tissue as do the murine sarcoma virus-transformed cells; how it is distributed among the embryonic tissues remains to be determined.     

Formation of larger cell aggregates by transformed cells: an in vitro index of cell transformation.

Virus-transformed rat and hamster embryonic cells formed larger cell aggregates than those formed by normal counterpart cells within 1-3 days. This aggregate property correlated with growth in soft agar and tumorigenicity.     

Distinct isozyme patterns of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase in human neuroblastoma and ganglioneuroma; a possible marker of differentiation of neural crest-derived tumors and Schwann cells

By DEAE-cellulose chromatography, the 30,000g supernatants of human neuroblastoma (n = 7), ganglioneuroma (n = 5), sympathetic ganglia (n = 3), and Schwannoma (n = 2) were found to contain three major peaks of adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) phosphodiesterase (PDE) activity, which were termed peaks I, II, and III in the order of their elution from the column. Peak I isozyme was calmodulin-dependent, and had two different Km values for cAMP (32 and 2.3 microM) and a low Km for guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) (2.9 microM). Peak II isozyme had a high Km for both cAMP, 76 microM, and cGMP, 32 microM, and peak III isozyme was a cAMP-PDE with Km of 1.8 microM. The peak II and III isozymes were calmodulin-independent. The activity ratio of peak I isozyme to peak III isozyme (I/III isozyme ratio) was significantly different (P less than 0.001) in neuroblastoma and in ganglioneuroma/sympathetic ganglia, i.e., 0.23 +/- 0.11 for neuroblastoma vs. 0.79 +/- 0.20 for ganglioneuroma and 0.51 +/- 0.08 for sympathetic ganglia. Schwannoma showed the highest value of 1.05 (P less than 0.05). These results suggest that the I/III isozyme ratio of cAMP-PDE could be a useful marker in studies on the differentiation of neural crest-derived tumors and Schwann cells.     

Comparisons of the chemical and biologic properties of triaziquone and triaziquone-protein conjugates.

Prepared with nonimmunospecific proteins were covalent conjugates of triaziquone [2,3,4-tris(1-aziridinyl)-p-benzoquinone] (hereafter referred to by the tradename, Trenimon). The bound Trenimon that absorbs maximally at 350 nm (epsilon = 8,200) was assayed by titration of the acid uptake during alkylation of thiosulfate ion and by the color produced during alkylation of 4-(p-nitrobenzyl)pyridine. Conjugates of Trenimon with nonimmune IgG were toxic to cells in culture, although no firm binding of conjugate to cell surface could be measured by fluorescein labeling. Inhibition of cellular pinocytotic activity with cytochalasin B had no effect on the cytotoxic response. Polyoma virus-transformed baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells that were threefold more resistant to the action of a conjugate than was the parent cell line were as sensitive as normal BHK cells when grown in the presence of dibutyryl cyclic AMP or when acted on in suspension by the conjugate. These conditions did not affect the response of the parent BHK line. Cysteine acted to protect both cell lines. The results suggest that Trenimon bound to nonimmmune protein reacted primarily with a component of the cell surface. The reaction did not appear to depend on a firm attachment of the conjugate to the cell.     

Rat, mouse and hamster isozyme specificity in the glutathione transferase-mediated denitrosation of nitrosoguanidinium compounds

The major isozymes from affinity column-purified glutathione transferases isolated from Sprague-Dawley rat liver, kidney, and testis cytosol and also from BALB/c mouse and Syrian golden hamster liver cytosol have been resolved by chromatofocusing and tested for their ability to denitrosate and thus detoxicate the DNA-methylating agents and potential carcinogens nitrosocimetidine and 1,3-dimethyl-2-cyano-1-nitrosoguanidine (CyanoDMNG). The isozymes have been kinetically characterized using a battery of substrates permitting, in the rat and mouse cases, subunit composition identification. It has been found that the rat and mouse isozymes belonging to the mu class are uniquely and highly active in the denitrosation of nitrosocimetidine and CyanoDMNG. A specific set of hamster glutathione transferase isozymes were also found to be active in these reactions. We have identified the reaction products produced by the rat liver 3-4 isozyme activity. The glutathione transferase-mediated degradations of 1-methyl-2-nitro-1-nitrosoguanidine and CyanoDMNG generate one molecule of S-nitrosoglutathione per molecule of denitrosated guanidinium compound produced. In the CyanoDMNG incubations essentially all degradation was via denitrosation; nitrite and glutathione disulfide were minor products. In the 1-methyl-2-nitro-1-nitrosoguanidine case nonenzymic degradation of the nitroso compound in the presence of reduced glutathione was evident but little of this decomposition produced S-nitrosoglutathione or 1-methyl-2-nitroguanidine. In the presence of rat transferase 3-4 isozyme, glutathione-dependent 1-methyl-2-nitro-1-nitrosoguanidine degradation was shifted markedly towards denitrosation with the concomitant production of S-nitrosoglutathione.     

Effect of malignant transformation, retinoic acid, trifluoperazine, and N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalenesulfonamide (W7) on the sensitivity of rodent cells to Pseudomonas toxin

A number of mouse and rat cells and their virus-transformed counterparts were tested for sensitivity to Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A (PEA). In each case, the transformed cells were considerably less sensitive than were the nontransformed cells. In the presence of trifluoperazine, N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalenesulfonamide, or retinoic acid, the transformed cells became as sensitive as the nontransformed cells, whereas these drugs had little or no effect on the sensitivity to PEA of the nontransformed cells. Temperature-sensitive virus-transformed normal rabbit kidney cells were sensitized to PEA by N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalenesulfonamide, when these cells were grown as the transformed phenotype, whereas the nontransformed phenotype could not be sensitized. The possibility is discussed that upon malignant transformation a process which is dependent upon calmodulin or protein kinase C strongly decreases the sensitivity of the cells to PEA.     

The enhanced radiation response of in vitro tumor models to insulin.

The presence of insulin during the irradiation of plateau phase baby hamster kidney, Chinese hamster ovary, Ehrlich tumor, human oral carcinoma, human laryngealcarcinoma, and V-79 cells improved radiation response. Insulin was also found to enhance the radiation response of multiceli V-79 spheroids. The radiosensitizing effect of insulin is both time and concentration dependent. Additional studies indicate that glucagon-free insulin and the insulin mimicking tripeptide, glyeyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-acetate, also sensitize plateau phase cultures of V-79 cells to radiation.     

Pericellular matrix and cell surface glycoproteins of virus-transformed mouse epithelial cells

Mouse embryo Mus musculus castaneous epithelial cells, transformed with Moloney murine sarcoma virus (MSV) or with ecotropic murine leukemia virus (MuLV), were analyzed for production of pericellular matrix glycoproteins. The nontransformed, MSV-transformed, and MuLV-transformed cells produced fibronectin, laminin, type I collagen, and small amounts of type III collagen when studied by immunofluorescence using specific antibodies. The virus-transformed epithelial cells produced enhanced amounts of fibronectin into their growth media. Nontransformed M. musculus castaneous epithelial cells mainly produced type I collagen, as shown by metabolic labeling and polypeptide analysis. A significant increase in the glycoprotein production was seen by the MuLV-transformed cells, whereas small changes in the collagen production were apparent after MSV transformation. MuLV-transformed cells produced increased amounts of type I collagen and also some collagenous polypeptides that comigrated with procollagen type IV chains. The ratio of the procollagen type I chains deposited in the matrix was altered in transformed cells. Radioactive surface labeling of the cells revealed changes of the high-molecular-weight glycoproteins in both the MSV- and the MuLV-transformed cells. Unlike virus-transformed fibroblastic cells, these transformed epithelial cells deposited and retained connective tissue glycoproteins in their pericellular matrices. The results indicate that viral transformation modulates the pericellular matrix and surface glycoproteins of cultured mouse epithelial cels. The ability of virus-transformed epithelial cells to deposit pericellular matrices is a major difference between them and virus-transformed fibroblastic cells.     

Differential Expression of a Human Sperm-specific Isozyme in Seminoma Cells Transplanted in Scid-nustr Mice

An isozyme of human sperm-specific lactate dehydrogenase, LDH-X (C₄) (EC 1.1.1.27), which is expressed only in differentiated germ cells (spermatozoa, spermatids and primary spermatocytes after midpachytene), appeared in the xenografted tumor cells of human seminoma and its metastatic lesions (lymph node and kidney) in scid (severe combined immunodeficiency)-nude^streaker double mutant mice, though it was not expressed in the original tumor of the patient. The morphological pattern of seminoma cells also changed in the xenografts and metastatic lesions as in normal spermatogenesis. Thus, the human seminoma cells showed differential expression of the sperm-specific isozyme in parallel with their morphological changes. However, the sperm-specific isozyme disappeared in the mitotically dividing seminoma cells which were newly established from the LDH-X positive xenograft.     

Growth of murine sarcoma virus-transformed rat kidney cells in nude mice: absence of induction of host endogenous viruses.

Clonal isolates of the normal rat kidney cell line (NRK) transformed by a defective murine sarcoma virus (Kirsten strain) were injected into nude mice of BALB/c background to determine whether the growth of these cells as tumors was accompanied by the induction of host endogenous type C viruses. All the virus-transformed clones produced rapidly growing tumors in nude mice, but neither the induction of mouse endogenous viruses nor the rescue and spread of the transforming sarcoma virus were observed during the growth of tumors. The degree of expression of the tumor virus structural proteins in the transformed cells did not determine the cellular phenotype with regard to tumorigenicity in nude mice, nor did it modify the cellular growth properties in vitro. Consistent with earlier observations with simian virus 40-transformed mouse and rat cells, the ability of sarcoma virus-transformed NRK cells to initiate tumor growth in nude mice appeared to be correlated with anchorage-independent growth in vitro.     

Transglutaminase activity in normal and transformed cells.

Transglutaminase activity was determined in normal and transformed paired cell systems. Reduced enzyme activity was found in virus-transformed human and hamster cells and in chemically transformed mouse cells relative to normal counterparts. Most of the enzyme activity was localized in the particulate fraction sedimenting at 105,000 X g. Enzyme activity was highest when normal cell populations were in an essentially nonmitotic state. Protein capable of incorporating putrescine was present in normal and transformed human cells, although the rate of incorporation was lower in the latter. The putrescine acceptor in the normal cell paralleled enzyme activity and enzyme distribution. Trypsin (5 microng/ml) treatment of the normal cell resulted in a 3-fold increase in enzyme activity, which occurred independently of protein synthesis.     

Aminopeptidase activities on the surface of mammalian cells and their alterations associated with transformation.

Activities of various hydrolytic enzymes were determined in rat organ homogenates and on the surface of cells from various sources, i.e., tumor cell strains, primary cultured cells, normal cells, and their transformants. Alanine, leucine, methionine, phenylalanine, and glycyl-proline aminopeptidases and esterase showed relatively high activities in all these organs and cells. In the kidney homogenate the aminopeptidase A activity was higher in other organs; i.e., the aminopeptidase A activity was lower than that of aminopeptidase B. Normal cells derived from kidneys showed the kidney-type pattern of amino-peptidases A and B on the surface of cells, whereas tumor cells from various origins were of another organ type. When cultured mouse fibroblast strain C3H2K and rat fibroblast strain 3Y1 cells were transformed by SV40 or by a ts A mutant and maintained at permissive temperature, aminopeptidase A activity was drastically decreased, and the ratio of aminopeptidase A to aminopeptidase B was reduced to the levels of tumor cells. If the ts A mutant-transformed cells were grown at the restrictive temperature, the ratio approached that of normal cells. In normal cells, however, cultivation at high or low temperature did not cause any change of the activities.     

Variations in catechol O-methyltransferase activity in rodent tissues: possible role in estrogen carcinogenicity

Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) [EC 2.1.1.6 [EC] ] is a ubiquitouscytosolic enzyme which has a pertinent role in the inactivationof both natural and synthetic catechol estrogens in mammaliantissues. We have compared the COMT activity in mouse, hamsterand rat kidney, liver and red blood cells and examined the kineticcharacteristics of this enzyme in the latter two species usingvarious catechol estrogens as substrates. Results presentedhere indicate that the ratios of COMT activity in the kidneyversus the liver of the rat and mouse are nearly identical,0.48–0.52, whereas there is a 29-fold ratio between thelevel of COMT activity in these two tissues in the hamster.In red blood cells, the level of COMT activity is 4- and 12-foldlower in the hamster compared to mouse and rat, respectively.When the kinetic characteristics of this enzyme were assessedin the hamster and rat kidney and liver, except for 2-hydroxymoxestrolwhich had an apparent K_m value of 15–48 µM, theother catechol estrogen substrates exhibited K_m values rangingfrom 1–10 µM. Generally, the V_max values were markedlyhigher in the rat kidney and liver than those observed in correspondinghamster tissues. The significantly lower COMT activity in thehamster liver and red blood cells suggests that under chronicestrogen treatment at high doses, the concentration of catecholestrogens in these tissues may exceed the capacity of COMT toeffectively catalyse their O-methylation into inactive metabolites.The resulting accumulation of catechol estrogens may contributeto the estrogen carcinogenicity observed in the hamster liverand kidney. Additionally, when 2-hydroxy-estrone was used asa substrate, the estrogen-induced renal carcinoma exhibitedonly 8.6% of the COMT activity found in the normal kidney.     

Tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate and sn-1,2-dioctanoylglycerol increase the phosphorylation of protein kinase C in cells

Phosphorylation of protein kinase C (PKC) may be an important mode of regulation of this enzyme that plays a key role in mouse skin tumor promotion and in mammalian cell signal transduction. To investigate this possibility, PKC was specifically immunoprecipitated from Abelson murine leukemia virus-transformed normal rat kidney cells that had been metabolically labeled with [32P]orthophosphoric acid. The Mr 80,000 phosphoprotein that was specifically immunoprecipitated from Abelson murine leukemia virus-transformed normal rat kidney cells was found to be identical with purified rat brain PKC that had undergone cell-free autophosphorylation. This is based on comparisons of peptides generated by partial proteolysis with Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease by one-dimensional polyacrylamide-sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis and of tryptic peptides by reversed-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography. These data are consistent with phosphorylation of PKC in cells having occurred via autophosphorylation. The autophosphorylation of PKC was stimulated by treatment of C3H 10T1/2 cells with the tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate or sn-1,2-dioctanoylglycerol. Exposure of cells to 100 nM 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate for 15 min increased the phosphorylation of PKC by 5-fold in the particulate fraction, while treatment with 100 microM dioctanoylglycerol enhanced phosphorylation of PKC only by 2-fold. Phosphorylation of PKC in response to activation may have significance for altering the sensitivity of PKC to proteolytic down-regulation and/or to subsequent activation.