title: Regulation of the HGF-receptor c-met in the thyroid gland.
abstract: HGF (hepatocyte growth factor) has been characterised as an important mitogen and motogen in many epithelial cells. The biological and clinical significance of HGF and its receptor c-met in the thyroid is currently under study. Overexpression of c-met is an important feature of papillary thyroid cancer. We developed a quantitative differential RT-PCR method in order to examine HGF-receptor regulation using RNA of about 50 cells per analysis. Experiments were performed in three spontaneously transformed follicular thyroid cancer (FTC) cell lines FTC-133, 236, and 238, 7 primary cultures derived from multinodular goitres, one from Graves disease and 1 from papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). TGF-alpha and to a minor degree HGF were shown to induce a marked up-regulation of the receptor whereas bovine TSH, NaI, dbcAMP or basic FGF had no apparent effect. We conclude that expression of the HGF-receptor is under control of paracrine growth factors activating tyrosine-kinase-dependent pathways. We could demonstrate a minor stimulation of thyroid cell proliferation by HGF in presence but not in absence of 10% fetal calf serum.
authors.affiliation: Dept. for General and Trauma Surgery, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Schulte
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Antoch
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ellrichmann
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Finken-Eigen
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Köhrer
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Goretzki
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Röher
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003470:Culture Media; D004247:DNA / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005260:Female; D006042:Goiter / Q000378:metabolism; D006133:Growth Substances / Q000494:pharmacology; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000378:metabolism*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D006133:Growth Substances; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor; D004247:DNA; C080835:RON protein; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases