Mesothelioma cell proliferation through autocrine activation of PDGF-ββ receptor

Growth factors play a critical role in proliferation for a variety of cancer cells. The present study was conducted to understand the signaling cascades underlying PDGF-D/PDGF-ββ receptor-mediated proliferation of mesothelioma cells.

Cell growth and cell cycle were analyzed in human non-malignant Met5A cells and malignant mesothelioma cells such as MSTO-211H, NCI-H28, NCI-H2052, and NCI-H2452 cells.

Growth of all the cells used here was not affected by PDGF-D, regardless of concentrations (1-30 ng/ml) or treatment time (48-72 h). Spontaneous growth of those cells was significantly inhibited by knocking-down PDGFD or PDGF-ββ receptor, without affecting cell cycling. The cell growth was significantly inhibited by the Akt inhibitor MK2206 and the ROCK inhibitor Y27632 for all the cell types, by the PDK1 inhibitor BX912 for NCI-H28 cells alone, and by the Rac1 inhibitor NSC23766 for NCI-H2052 cells alone, while the PI3 kinase inhibitor wortmannin had no effect. The cell growth, alternatively, was significantly attenuated by MAP kinase kinase inhibitor PD98059 or the ERK1/2 inhibitor FR180204 for all the cell types.

The results of the present study show that PDGF-D promotes mesothelioma cell proliferation by targeting ROCK or MAP kinase through autocrine activation of PDGF-ββ receptor.