Basic fibroblast-like growth factor is present in the conditioned medium of simian sarcoma virus transformed NRK

K Hicks1, B Friedman, M R Rosner

  • 1Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139.

Insights

Simian sarcoma virus-transformed cells release two factors that inhibit epidermal growth factor receptor binding. One factor is the PDGF B chain, and the other is basic FGF, acting in an autocrine manner.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Simian sarcoma virus (SSV)-transformed NRK cells secrete factors affecting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR).
  • Identifying these secreted factors is crucial for understanding autocrine signaling in cancer.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify and characterize the factors in SSV-transformed NRK cell conditioned medium that downregulate EGFR.
  • To determine if these factors are related to the v-sis oncogene product or distinct entities.

Main Methods:

  • Fractionation of conditioned medium using heparin-Sepharose chromatography.
  • Analysis of eluted fractions for biological activity, including induction of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptor autophosphorylation, mitogenicity for Swiss 3T3 cells, and inhibition of epidermal growth factor (EGF) binding.

Main Results:

  • Two distinct active fractions were isolated.
  • The first fraction (0.8 M NaCl eluate) contains the PDGF B chain, which induces PDGF receptor autophosphorylation and is mitogenic.
  • The second fraction (2 M NaCl eluate) exhibits properties of basic FGF, is mitogenic, and inhibits high-affinity EGF binding via a protein kinase C-independent pathway.

Conclusions:

  • SSV-transformed cell conditioned medium contains at least two autocrine factors.
  • These factors include the v-sis oncogene product (PDGF B chain) and basic FGF.
  • Both factors contribute to the observed downregulation of EGFR signaling.

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