title: Production of stem cell factor and expression of c-kit in human rhabdomyosarcoma cells: lack of autocrine growth modulation.
abstract: Human rhabdomyosarcoma cells produce autocrine and paracrine growth factors that can sustain their growth and malignancy. Here we report constitutive production of stem cell factor (SCF) by 5 of 5 human rhabdomyosarcoma cell lines both of alveolar and embryonal histotype. SCF production, ranging from 30 to 162 pg/ml, was independent from the degree of myogenic differentiation and was not modulated by exogenous addition of retinoic acid (RA) or tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). Four of 5 rhabdomyosarcoma cell lines expressed the mRNA for SCF receptor c-kit, while the 5th cell line became weakly positive for c-kit mRNA only after stimulation with retinoic acid. On the cell surface, c-kit protein was detectable at very low levels in only 1 of 5 rhabdomyosarcoma cell lines and was not up-regulated by RA or TNF-alpha. Addition of anti-c-kit and anti-SCF blocking antibodies, or of exogenous SCF did not alter the in vitro growth ability of rhabdomyosarcoma cells. In conclusion, our data show that rhabdomyosarcoma cells produce consistent amounts of SCF but did not demonstrate autocrine growth modulation. SCF secretion may thus have a paracrine, rather than an autocrine activity in this tumor.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cancer Research, University of Bologna, Italy. landuzzi@cancer.unibo.it
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Landuzzi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Strippoli
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: De Giovanni
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nicoletti
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tonelli
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Frabetti
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nanni
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Bagnara
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Lollini
mesh_terms: D019898:Autocrine Communication; D002455:Cell Division; D006801:Humans; D019899:Paracrine Communication; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012208:Rhabdomyosarcoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D019089:Stem Cell Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000494:pharmacology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D019089:Stem Cell Factor; D014212:Tretinoin; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit