Carcinogenesis, Vol 18, 2043-2050, Copyright © 1997 by Oxford University Press
M Terzaghi-Howe, GW Chang and D Popp
A series of cells representing normal, non-tumorigenic cell lines, as well
as differentiating neoplastic and undifferentiated neoplastic rat tracheal
epithelial cell populations were evaluated for their ability to establish
homologous and/or heterologous cell-cell gap junction communication in
culture. Gap junction communication was evaluated by flow cytometric
quantitation of the transfer of the fluorescent dye calcein from a donor to
a recipient cell population via gap junctions. The data indicate that
normal primary cultures of rat tracheal epithelial cells, as well as
non-tumorigenic cell lines and squamous cell carcinomas cell populations,
retain the ability to establish both homologous and heterologous gap
junction communication. In all cases an average of >48% of recipient
cells had acquired calcein label during a 5-h interval of co-culture of
donor and recipient cells at confluent densities. Cells harvested directly
from squamous cell carcinoma tumors exhibited similar levels of cell-cell
communication. In contrast, cells giving rise to undifferentiated
carcinomas, as well as cells harvested from undifferentiated carcinomas,
exhibited very low levels or no homologous or heterologous cell-cell
communication. Cell populations exhibiting distinctly different
communication phenotypes were evaluated by Northern blot analysis for
expression of connexins (Cx 26, 32 and 43) and E-cadherin. Neither
communicating nor non-communicating cells expressed connexin 32. Those cell
populations, which established functional gap junctions, expressed
E-cadherin as well as connexin 26 and/or 43. In contrast, those cell
populations that lacked the ability to communicate universally lacked
expression of E-cadherin, and a quarter also lacked expression of
detectable levels of connexin.
ARTICLES
Emergence of undifferentiated rat tracheal cell carcinomas, but not squamous cell carcinomas, is associated with a loss of expression of E- cadherin and of gap junction communication
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Life Sciences Division, TN 37831-8080, USA.
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