Leukemia inhibitory factor binds to human breast cancer cells and stimulates their proliferation.

Abstract

Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is a cytokine that was originally described as a differentiation factor of a murine myeloid leukemia cell line and subsequently found to be an important mediator of embryonic development. Although extensively studied in the hematopoietic system, its effects on solid tumors are generally unknown. In the present study we investigated the role of LIF in human breast cancer cells. Using the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, we found that the human breast carcinoma MCF-7 cell line expressed the message for both LIF receptor and its signal-transducing protein gp130, suggesting that these receptors might be biologically active. Binding studies with radiolabeled LIF demonstrated that MCF-7 cells interacted with this cytokine, and the ligand binding was specific and time, dose, and temperature dependent. In addition, a Scatchard analysis of the data revealed a single class of high-affinity (Kd 0.27 nM) receptors with a density of approximately 430 sites per cell. MCF-7 cells exposed to LIF internalized and degraded the ligand. LIF stimulated the growth of MCF-7 as well as other estrogen-dependent and independent breast cancer cell lines, but the effect on normal breast epithelial lines was less significant. Likewise, it stimulated colony formation by breast cancer cells obtained from five different breast cancer patients in a dose-dependent fashion. These results overall suggest that human breast tumor cells express functional LIF receptors that play a role in breast cancer cell proliferation.

• Authors: Z Estrov, B Samal, R Lapushin, P Kellokumpu-Lehtinen, A A Sahin, R Kurzrock, M Talpaz, B B Aggarwal
• Journal: Journal of interferon & cytokine research : the official journal of the International Society for Interferon and Cytokine Research (J Interferon Cytokine Res) Vol. 15 Issue 10 Pg. 905-13 (Oct 1995) ISSN: 1079-9907 [Print] United States
• PMID: 8564713 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Growth Inhibitors
• Interleukin-6
• LAMP1 protein, human
• LIF protein, human
• LIFR protein, human
• Leukemia Inhibitory Factor
• Leukemia Inhibitory Factor Receptor alpha Subunit
• Lymphokines
• Lysosome-Associated Membrane Glycoproteins
• Membrane Glycoproteins
• Neoplasm Proteins
• Receptors, Cytokine
• Receptors, OSM-LIF

Topics

• Base Sequence
• Breast Neoplasms (metabolism, pathology)
• Cell Division (drug effects)
• Growth Inhibitors (metabolism)
• Humans
• Interleukin-6
• Leukemia Inhibitory Factor
• Leukemia Inhibitory Factor Receptor alpha Subunit
• Lymphokines (metabolism)
• Lysosome-Associated Membrane Glycoproteins
• Membrane Glycoproteins (biosynthesis)
• Molecular Sequence Data
• Neoplasm Proteins (biosynthesis)
• Receptors, Cytokine (biosynthesis)
• Receptors, OSM-LIF
• Stimulation, Chemical
• Tumor Cells, Cultured
• Tumor Stem Cell Assay