title: Differentiation of cultured human breast cancer cells (AU-565 and MCF-7) associated with loss of cell surface HER-2/neu antigen.
abstract: The relationship between terminal cell differentiation and changes in the subcellular levels of the HER-2/neu antigen was investigated in cultured human breast cancer cells: AU-565 cells (which overexpress the HER-2/neu gene) and MCF-7 cells (which do not overexpress this gene). Differentiation was achieved by treating the cells with mycophenolic acid (MPA), phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), retinoic acid (RA), or the TA-1 monoclonal antibody to the extracellular domain of the HER-2/neu protein. Ten to twenty percent of the cells in untreated, sparsely growing AU-565 cultures exhibited morphological maturation characterized by large lacy nuclei surrounded by sizable flat cytoplasms. A fraction of these cells harbored milk factors such as casein and large lipid droplets. Treatment of the AU-565 cells for 4 d with 9 microM MPA, 1.6 nM PMA, 2.5 microM RA, or 1 microgram/mL TA-1 antibody resulted in cell growth inhibition and an increase in the percentage of cells (48-97%) that exhibit a mature phenotype. MCF-7 cells were also susceptible to differentiation by MPA and RA, but to a lesser degree than the AU-565 cells. Differentiation in the AU-565 and MCF-7 cells was associated with reduced immunostaining for the HER-2/neu protein at the cell surface membrane and with a transient increased diffuse immunostaining for this protein in the cytoplasm.
authors.affiliation: Cell Analysis Systems, Inc., Elmhurst, Illinois.
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Bacus
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kiguchi
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chin
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Huberman
mesh_terms: D015139:Blotting, Southern; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D005796:Genes; D006801:Humans; D009173:Mycophenolic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000494:pharmacology; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000494:pharmacology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D009173:Mycophenolic Acid; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate; D014212:Tretinoin