Scatter factor/hepatocyte growth factor expression enhances human glioblastoma tumorigenicity and growth.
We have shown previously that the multifunctional cytokine scatter factor/hepatocyte growth factor (SF/HGF) is elevated in human malignant gliomas. In this study we investigated how human SF/HGF expression affects the malignancy of the U373 human glioblastoma cell line in vivo and in vitro. Human SF/HGF gene transfer increased U373 glioblastoma tumorigenicity by > or = 20-fold and enhanced the growth rate of intracerebral U373 xenografts by 3- to 8-fold. SF/HGF expression had no effect on the proliferation of glioblastoma cell monolayers but increased their anchorage-independent colony formation in soft agar by 5- to 8-fold. These results are the first to show that SF/HGF expression by human glioblastoma cells enhances their growth dysregulation in vitro and malignancy in vivo.
Laterra
J
J
Department of Neurology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, The Kennedy Krieger Research Institute, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA. laterra@kennedykrieger.org
Rosen
E
E
Nam
M
M
Ranganathan
S
S
Fielding
K
K
Johnston
P
P
D000818:Animals; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002455:Cell Division; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000473:pathology*; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D051379:Mice; D016513:Mice, SCID; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013997:Time Factors; D014162:Transfection; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor