Cells secreting tumour necrosis factor show enhanced metastasis in nude mice.
A tumour cell may acquire the ability to invade and metastasise via heritable changes in its genome and/or changes in the local environment. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells transfected with the gene for human TNF (CHO/TNF cells) showed a greatly enhanced ability to invade peritoneal surfaces and metastasise in nude mice compared with cells transfected by the vector alone. In situ hybridisation with a riboprobe for human TNF showed that the CHO/TNF cells were actively transcribing this cytokine after in vivo injection. Neutralising antibodies to human TNF, both whole IgG and F(ab)2 fragments, abrogated the enhanced metastatic activity of the TNF-secreting cells. Thus transfection of a cytokine/growth-factor gene can confer a metastatic phenotype on the recipient cell.
Malik
S T
ST
Imperial Cancer Research Fund, London, U.K.
Naylor
M S
MS
East
N
N
Oliff
A
A
Balkwill
F R
FR
D000818:Animals; D002999:Clone Cells; D006224:Cricetinae; D003412:Cricetulus; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000235:genetics*; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D010053:Ovary / Q000166:cytology; D014162:Transfection; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha