title: Cyclooxygenase-2 expression in human colon cancer cells increases metastatic potential.
abstract: Recent epidemiologic studies have shown a 40-50% reduction in mortality from colorectal cancer in individuals who take nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs on a regular basis compared with those not taking these agents. One property shared by all of these drugs is their ability to inhibit cyclooxygenase (COX), a key enzyme in the conversion of arachidonic acid to prostaglandins. Two isoforms of COX have been characterized, COX-1 and COX-2. COX-2 is expressed at high levels in intestinal tumors in humans and rodents. Human colon cancer cells (Caco-2) were permanently transfected with a COX-2 expression vector or the identical vector lacking the COX-2 insert. The Caco-2 cells, which constitutively expressed COX-2, acquired increased invasiveness compared with the parental Caco-2 cells or the vector transfected control cells. Biochemical changes associated with this phenotypic change included activation of metalloproteinase-2 and increased RNA levels for the membrane-type metalloproteinase. Increased invasiveness and prostaglandin production were reversed by treatment with sulindac sulfide, a known COX inhibitor. These studies demonstrate that constitutive expression of COX-2 can lead to phenotypic changes that alter the metastatic potential of colorectal cancer cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tsujii
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kawano
authors.forename: R N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: DuBois
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D000818:Animals; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000494:pharmacology; D018938:Caco-2 Cells; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D006801:Humans; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases / Q000378:metabolism*; D011453:Prostaglandins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013467:Sulindac / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D007527:Isoenzymes; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D011453:Prostaglandins; D013467:Sulindac; C025462:sulindac sulfide; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; C496540:PTGS2 protein, human; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases