Faculty Bibliography

The plasminogen activator (PA) activity of clonal rat osteogenic sarcoma cell (phenotypically osteoblast) and of osteoblast-rich rat calvarial cells is shown to be increased by treatment with the bone-resorbing hormones, PTH, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, prostaglandin E2, and epidermal growth factor. Dose-dependent increases were observed, after a lag period of 4 to 8 h. Stimulated and control PA activities were inhibited by actinomycin D and cycloheximide but not by cytosine arabinoside. Glucocorticoid hormones prevented the hormone stimulation, but other steroids did not. Calcitonin had no effect either on basal or on hormone-treated PA activity. Isobutyl-methylxanthine alone increased PA activity and enhanced responsiveness to PTH and to prostaglandin E2. These data point to a common pathway in the actions upon osteoblasts of several hormones with diverse initial cellular actions and raise the possibility that the PA/plasmin system may contribute to cellular mechanisms of bone turnover

The clonal cell line UMR 106, which was originally derived from a rat transplantable osteogenic sarcoma with an osteoblastic phenotype, was subcloned after the emergence of a calcitonin-responsive adenylate cyclase was noted in late passages. Detailed studies on the stimulation of adenylate cyclase and activation profile of the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase isoenzymes in response to parathyroid hormone (PTH) and salmon calcitonin (SCT) were conducted on two subclones (UMR 106-01 and UMR 106-06). Both subclones responded in an identical manner to PTH, which stimulated adenylate cyclase and activated both isoenzyme I and isoenzyme II of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. In contrast, only UMR 106-06 cells responded to calcitonin. At 3 X 10(-8)M SCT, there was a sevenfold stimulation of adenylate cyclase, 84% activation of isoenzyme I, and 44% activation of isoenzyme II. The activation profiles of the isoenzymes to PTH and SCT in UMR 106-06 were similar. Furthermore, their response to SCT correlates with the presence of specific, saturable binding of 125I-labeled SCT. Binding parameters indicate apparent Kd = 0.8 nM and 6,000 receptors/cell. These data point to a significant phenotypic change having taken place in this clonal cell line with prolonged maintenance in culture, with the emergence of a calcitonin receptor linked to adenylate cyclase and protein kinase activation

Hormonal control of plasminogen activator (PA) was studied in clonal rat osteogenic sarcoma cells which are phenotypically osteoblast, and in osteoblast-rich rat bone cell cultures. The bone-resorbing hormones (parathyroid hormone, prostaglandin E2, epidermal growth factor and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3) stimulated PA activity in both cell types. The relative efficacies of vitamin D metabolites and of prostanoids reflect their relative potencies as stimulators of bone resorption

The ultrastructural and biochemical properties of four clonal osteogenic sarcoma lines, UMR 104, 105, 106, and 108, have been compared with uncloned osteogenic sarcoma cells and normal osteoblast-rich cells derived from newborn rat calvaria. High alkaline phosphatase activity and activation of adenylate cyclase by parathyroid hormone were used as biochemical markers of osteoblastic cells. Cloning enriched both of these parameters above those of the parent tumor and far higher than that seen in normal cells, suggesting enrichment of the osteoblast phenotype. Both of these properties have been retained through many passages in culture. Morphologically, the clonal lines have also retained the 'blast'-like appearance of the uncloned osteogenic sarcoma cells and consist mainly of flat, relatively featureless cells. Many cells with mitotic figures were observed, indicating continuous cell division taking place in the malignant cells. Each clonal line gave rise to characteristic tumors when reinjected into rats. It is concluded that the clonal osteogenic sarcoma lines are highly differentiated tumor lines which have conserved the differentiated properties of the mature osteoblast, making them a suitable model for the study of the effects of hormones on the growth of a differentiated tumor, as well as for the study of hormonal regulation of the osteoblast

Normal and malignant osteoblast-like cells in culture have been shown to possess specific, high affinity receptors for epidermal growth factor (EGF). In this study, the mitogenic response to EGF was examined in a clonal line of a rat osteogenic sarcoma (UMR 106) and in osteoblast-rich newborn rat calvarial cells. Twenty-four hour treatment of UMR 106 cells with EGF in doses ranging from 10(-12) M to 2 X 10(-8) M stimulated the incorporation of [3H]thymidine and DNA synthesis in a dose-dependent manner. This short-term stimulatory effect was sustained in long-term culture with a dose-dependent increase in cell proliferation by calvarial cells. A lag period of 8 h occurred before significant stimulation of [3H]thymidine incorporation was observed. Commitment to increased incorporation of [3H]thymidine required a minimum of 6 h continuous incubation with EGF. These results establish the osteoblast as a target cell for EGF action on bone

The metabolism of arachidonic acid to its cyclo-oxygenase products was studied in monolayer cultures of osteoblast-rich rat calvarial cells and of clonal cell lines from a rat osteogenic sarcoma, enriched in the osteoblast phenotype. Prostanoids were measured by radioimmunoassay after extraction of media and fractionation by high pressure liquid chromatography. In both normal and malignant osteoblasts the major cyclooxygenase product was 6-oxo-prostaglandin F1 alpha, the hydration product of prostacyclin, with lesser amounts of prostaglandin E2 and prostaglandin F2 alpha. No significant thromboxane B2 was detected. Prostaglandins are thought to have a local role in the regulation of bone resorption. These results point to the possible importance of prostacyclin either in bone resorption or in some other local function, e.g., regulation of bone blood flow

Studies were carried out to identify and characterize the receptors for epidermal growth factor (EGF) in osteoblast-rich newborn rat calvarial cells and in 4 clonal lines derived from a transplantable rat osteogenic sarcoma with a well-characterized osteoblast-like phenotype. The cells were grown in monolayer culture in replicate wells; 40,000-50,000 cpm 125I-labeled mouse EGF with a specific activity of 100-120 microCi/micrograms was added to each well. Binding studies were carried out at 37 degrees C. Binding of 125I-labeled EGF was specific, saturable, reversible, and pH dependent. Maximum binding occurred 2 h after addition of the tracer. Thereafter, cell-bound radioactivity decreased to reach a plateau of 15-20% of maximum binding at 24 h. This observation is consistent with internalization and processing of the receptor-hormone complex as has been shown with other EGF target cells. Scatchard analyses revealed a single class of high-affinity binding sites in the normal and malignant osteoblast-like cells. Dissociation constants (KD) in the clonal lines ranged from 2.3 X 10(-10)M to 4.7 X 10(-10)M with receptor number per cell ranging from 25,000 to 33,000. The calvarial cells had a KD of 2.0 X 10(-10)M with 14,000 receptors per cell. In both the normal and malignant cell strains, EGF was found to increase incorporation of 3H-labeled thymidine into acid-precipitable macromolecules. EGF has been shown to stimulate bone resorption; however, studies in organ cultures have not identified the target cell for EGF. The present results point to an interaction of EGF with osteoblasts

The pattern of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase isoenzyme response to acute hormonal activation has been studied in cultured cells derived from rat osteogenic sarcoma and osteoblast-rich cells grown from newborn rat calvaria. Using multiple small anion exchange columns and a batch elution technique, a rapid method of separating the isoenzymes of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase was developed and the acute activation by parathyroid hormone and prostaglandin E2 of each isoenzyme was studied. Activation was rapid, being detectable at 5 s, maximal at 15-30 s, and persisting for up to 6 h. Both hormones showed a dose-dependent activation of each isoenzyme in both cell types, but the patterns of response differed. Parathyroid hormone predominantly stimulated isoenzyme I in the clonal osteogenic sarcoma cells but showed equivalent activation of each isoenzyme in calvarial cells. Prostaglandin E2 also predominantly stimulated isoenzyme I in the malignant cells, whereas in the calvarial strain there was a major effect on isoenzyme II with almost no stimulation of isoenzyme I. Half-maximal stimulation of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase in the malignant cell strain was achieved for both hormones at concentrations an order of magnitude lower than those in the normal strain. These studies demonstrate selective activation of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase isoenzymes by hormones. Furthermore, the nature of the response differs between the normal and the corresponding neoplastic cell types for the same hormone stimulus

Parathyroid hormone, prostaglandin E2, and prostacyclin activate cAMP-dependent protein kinase in osteoblast-rich normal rat calvarial cells and in clonal rat osteogenic sarcoma cells of osteoblastic phenotype. The present study was undertaken to determine the activation of the enzyme in relation to cellular cAMP concentrations at increasing doses of the three hormones and also to test that the activity ratio measurement of the enzyme (ratio of the activity in the absence of cAMP to the activity in the presence of excess cAMP) was a true reflection of intracellular activation of the enzyme. With each hormone, using either normal or malignant osteoblasts, activation of the enzyme took place at hormone concentrations lower than those required to produce detectable changes in cAMP concentrations in the incubations. Stimulation of activity was abolished by addition of the heat-stable inhibitor of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, indicating that activation was of cAMP-dependent protein kinase alone. To demonstrate that protein kinase activation occurred intracellularly and not during sample preparation, charcoal was added at the time of cell disruption to absorb free cAMP. Under these conditions, no change was observed in the concentration of bovine parathyroid hormone required to cause activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Finally, addition of purified cAMP-dependent protein kinase type I or type II to treated cells at the time of lysis did not result in significant activation of added isoenzyme, except at hormone concentrations sufficient to increase the total cAMP concentration of incubations. It is concluded that activity ratio measurement reflects the intracellular state of activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase in the osteoblast-like cells treated by hormones and, furthermore, that only a fraction of the maximally generated cAMP is necessary for full enzyme activation

Adenylate cyclase activity was assayed in a crude particulate fraction of one benign and one malignant human insulinoma. Adenylate cyclase of both tumours responded to 5'-guanylyl-imidodiphosphate, sodium fluoride, glucagon and prostaglandin E2, and in addition the adenylate cyclase of the benign tumour responded to isoprenaline. Glucose and prostaglandin I2 (prostacyclin) did not stimulate the adenylate cyclase in either tumour, although prostaglandin I2 stimulated insulin secretion in cultures of the benign tumour. The in vitro responsiveness of the adenylate cyclase to glucagon did not correlate closely with the effect of glucagon on insulin secretion in vivo