Osteolytic activity of Walker carcinosarcoma 256 is due to parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP)

The hypercalcemic Walker carcinosarcoma 256 of the rat is an animal model for humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy. Previous in vivo studies suggested the production of a parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) by the Walker tumor. Therefore, we have measured immunoreactive PTHrP in serum-free conditioned medium from cells derived from this tumor using an antibody raised against human PTHrP(1-34). Walker tumor cell conditioned medium (WCM) displaced 125I-hPTHrP(1-34) from the antibody in a dose dependent manner, whereas control medium contained no immunoreactive PTHrP. In contrast, we detected no secretion of immunoreactive rat parathyroid hormone (rat PTH) by the Walker tumor cells using a midregional radioimmunoassay for rat PTH. WCM stimulated adenylate cyclase in osteoblast like cells, the dose-response curve paralleling that of hPTHrP(1-34). This effect could be inhibited by the PTH antagonist (8Nle, 18Nle, 34Tyr)bPTH(3-34) and by the addition of anti-hPTHrP(1-34) antibody. Bone resorbing activity of WCM in organ culture (calvaria of fetal rats) was not inhibited by indomethacin and glucocorticoids, suggesting a prostaglandin independent mechanism of osteoclast activation in this model.