title: Comparative effects of TGFbeta on proliferation of 7- and 14-day-old chick embryo fibroblasts and lack of involvement of the ODC/PA system in the TGFbeta signaling pathway.
abstract: The growth regulatory activity of transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) on chick embryo skin fibroblasts was compared in two developmental ages, days 7 and 14. The time course of 3H-thymidine incorporation, an S-phase marker of replication, was determined during 36 hr of TGFbeta treatment. Seven-day-old cells showed a prereplicative phase of 6 hr, and 14-day-old cells showed a prereplicative phase of 12 hr. DNA synthesis peaked at 24 hr in 7-day-old fibroblasts and was 10 times higher than that in 14-day-old fibroblasts. Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity and content of the natural polyamines spermine (Spm), spermidine (Spd), and putrescine (Put) differed during cell cycle. ODC activity peaked at 12 hr in 7-day-old cells and at 6 hr in 14-day-old cells. Its level was two times higher at day 7 and was associated with a greater content of ODC mRNA. The maximum of polyamine (PA) concentration was determined after 12 hr of treatment in 7-day-old cells and after 36 hr in 14-day-old cells. These findings indicate that the TGFbeta proliferative response of embryo fibroblasts changes during development and is associated with activation of the ODC/PA system. Cotreatment with alpha-difluoromethylornithine, an enzyme-activated irreversible inhibitor of ODC, did not reduced growth rate. Inhibition of ODC resulted in levels of Put and Spd comparable to that of quiescent fibroblasts, whereas Spm concentration remained higher. Because an altered ODC metabolism does not convey the effects of TGFbeta on DNA synthesis, the ODC/PA system may not play a role in the pathway of TGFbeta signaling.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Morfologia ed Embriologia, Università degli Studi di Ferrara, Italy. enr@dns.unife.it
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Evangelisti
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Valeno
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bosi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Baroni
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bellucci
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Carinci
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002453:Cell Cycle; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002642:Chick Embryo; D000518:Eflornithine / Q000494:pharmacology; D004790:Enzyme Induction; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D007700:Kinetics; D009955:Ornithine Decarboxylase / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D011073:Polyamines / Q000378:metabolism*; D011700:Putrescine / Q000378:metabolism; D012313:RNA / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D016196:S Phase; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000196:embryology; D013095:Spermidine / Q000378:metabolism; D013096:Spermine / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000494:pharmacology*