BCNU-induced increase in sulfated glycosaminoglycan production by human bone marrow stromal cells

The etiology of alkylator-induced leukemia is obscure, but may be due in part to alternations in the bone marrow stromal microenvironment. Marrow extracellular matrix, including collagen, glycosaminoglycans/proteoglycans, and glycoproteins, may play a crucial role in the control of normal and abnormal hematopoiesis. Twenty-four hours after seeding, confluent human bone marrow stromal cell cultures were exposed for 3 h to 15 micrograms/ml of 1,3-bis-(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU), an alkylating agent with leukemogenic potential. On the eighth day of culture, [35S]sulfate was added and radiolabeled glycosaminoglycan(s) (GAGs) was harvested 24 h later. BCNU treatment resulted in a 104% increase of the radiolabel incorporation into cetylpyridinium chloride precipitable GAG. In addition, spectrophotometric measurement of total GAG in treated cells revealed a similar GAG increase. However, BCNU treatment did not alter compartmental GAG distribution or GAG species. Our results demonstrate a profound quantitative change in the production of important extracellular matrix components by bone marrow stromal cells after exposure to a nitrosourea. This increase may be a factor in microenvironmental alterations leading to bone marrow toxicity following alkylator exposure.