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Transforming growth factor-? modulates pancreatic cancer associated fibroblasts cell shape, stiffness and invasion.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Tumor microenvironment consists of the extracellular matrix (ECM), stromal cells, such as fibroblasts (FBs) and cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs), and a myriad of soluble factors. In many tumor types, including pancreatic tumors, the interplay between stromal cells and the other tumor microenvironment components leads to desmoplasia, a cancer-specific type of fibrosis that hinders treatment. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-?) and CAFs are thought to play a crucial role in this tumor desmoplastic reaction, although the involved mechanisms are unknown. METHODS:Optical/fluorescence microscopy, atomic force microscopy, image processing techniques, invasion assay in 3D collagen I gels and real-time PCR were employed to investigate the effect of TGF-? on normal pancreatic FBs and CAFs with regard to crucial cellular morphodynamic characteristics and relevant gene expression involved in tumor progression and metastasis. RESULTS:CAFs present specific myofibroblast-like characteristics, such as ?-smooth muscle actin expression and cell elongation, they also form more lamellipodia and are softer than FBs. TGF-? treatment increases cell stiffness (Young's modulus) of both FBs and CAFs and increases CAF's (but not FB's) elongation, cell spreading, lamellipodia formation and spheroid invasion. Gene expression analysis shows that these morphodynamic characteristics are mediated by Rac, RhoA and ROCK expression in CAFs treated with TGF-?. CONCLUSIONS:TGF-? modulates CAFs', but not FBs', cell shape, stiffness and invasion. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE:Our findings elucidate on the effects of TGF-? on CAFs' behavior and stiffness providing new insights into the mechanisms involved.

SUBMITTER: Stylianou A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5957271 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Transforming growth factor-β modulates pancreatic cancer associated fibroblasts cell shape, stiffness and invasion.

Stylianou Andreas A Gkretsi Vasiliki V Stylianopoulos Triantafyllos T

Biochimica et biophysica acta. General subjects 20180315 7

<h4>Background</h4>Tumor microenvironment consists of the extracellular matrix (ECM), stromal cells, such as fibroblasts (FBs) and cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs), and a myriad of soluble factors. In many tumor types, including pancreatic tumors, the interplay between stromal cells and the other tumor microenvironment components leads to desmoplasia, a cancer-specific type of fibrosis that hinders treatment. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) and CAFs are thought to play a crucial role ...[more]

PMID: 29477748

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Project description:Fibroblasts are major cellular components of the tumor microenvironment, regulating tumor cell behavior in part through secretion of extracellular matrix proteins, growth factors, and angiogenic factors. In previous studies, conditional deletion of the type II transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) receptor in fibroblasts (Tgfbr2FspKO) was shown to promote mammary tumor metastasis in fibroblast-epithelial cell cotransplantation studies in mice, correlating with increased expression of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). Here, we advance our findings to show that Tgfbr2(FspKO) fibroblasts enhance HGF/c-Met and HGF/Ron signaling to promote scattering and invasion of mammary carcinoma cells. Blockade of c-Met and Ron by small interfering RNA silencing and pharmacologic inhibitors significantly reduced mammary carcinoma cell scattering and invasion caused by Tgfbr2FspKO fibroblasts. Moreover, neutralizing antibodies to c-Met and Ron significantly inhibited HGF-induced cell scattering and invasion, correlating with reduced Stat3 and p42/44MAPK phosphorylation. Investigation of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways by pharmacologic inhibition and small interfering RNA silencing revealed a cooperative interaction between the two pathways to regulate HGF-induced invasion, scattering, and motility of mammary tumor cells. Furthermore, whereas c-Met was found to regulate both the Stat3 and MAPK signaling pathways, Ron was found to regulate Stat3 but not MAPK signaling in mammary carcinoma cells. These studies show a tumor-suppressive role for TGF-beta signaling in fibroblasts, in part by suppressing HGF signaling between mammary fibroblasts and epithelial cells. These studies characterize complex functional roles for HGF and TGF-beta signaling in mediating tumor-stromal interactions during mammary tumor cell scattering and invasion, with important implications in the metastatic process.

Project description:BACKGROUND:The simplicity of Transforming Growth Factor ß (TGF?) signaling pathway, linear and non-amplified, hardly sustains its variety of responses. This is often justified by the complex regulation showed by Smad proteins, TGF? signaling intracellular transducers, object of post-translational modifications that modulate TGF?-dependent transcription. Protein acetylation is emerging as a compelling mechanism affecting the activities of significant transcription factors, including p53, FOXO or NF-kB. Smad proteins might be controlled by this mechanism, implying that accessory factors capable of altering Smads-transcriptional complexes acetylation status and hence regulate TGF? responses remain to be identified. Understanding this interaction may help in the assessment of TGF? signaling outcomes, extending from healthy physiology to pathological conditions and cancer. METHODS:A two-hybrid chimera interacting system allowed to identify Sirt1, a NAD+ dependent type III histone deacetylase, as a novel Smad2 interactor. Several well stablished cellular models were applied to characterize this interaction by means of co-immunoprecipitation of tagged proteins and immuno-fluorescence staining. The occurrence of the interaction at Smad2 driven transcriptomic complexes was studied by means of DNA-pull-down and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), while its effects were assessed by protein over-expression and siRNA applied into a TGF?-dependent reporter gene assay. RESULTS:The interaction was confirmed and observed to be enhanced upon Smad2 acetylation, a known feature of active and nuclear Smad2. However, Sirt1 did not play a major role in Smad2 deacetylation. Anti-Sirt1 ChIP showed increased recovery of promoter regions corresponding to Smad2-driven genes after TGF?-stimulation, while its occurrence at Smad2-dependent transcriptomic complexes on DNA was found to effectively modulate gene expression. CONCLUSIONS:Sirt1 presence on Smad2-driven TGF?-dependent regulatory elements was detected and found to increase after TGF? treatment. Moreover, Sirt1 overexpression resulted in a decrease of the activity of a Smad2-driven TGF?-dependent reporter gene, while Sirt1 interference increased its activity. This would confirm the relevance of the discovered Sirt1-Smad2 interaction for the regulation of TGF?-dependent gene transcription.

Dataset Information

Transforming growth factor-? modulates pancreatic cancer associated fibroblasts cell shape, stiffness and invasion.

Publications

Transforming growth factor-β modulates pancreatic cancer associated fibroblasts cell shape, stiffness and invasion.

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