title: Expression of TGF-beta signaling genes in the normal, premalignant, and malignant human trophoblast: loss of smad3 in choriocarcinoma cells.
abstract: We had earlier shown that TGF-beta controls proliferation, migration, and invasiveness of normal human trophoblast cells, whereas premalignant and malignant trophoblast cells are resistant to TGF-beta. To identify signaling defects responsible for TGF-beta resistance in premalignant and malignant trophoblasts, we have compared the expression of TGF-beta signaling molecules in a normal trophoblast cell line (HTR-8), its premalignant derivative (RSVT2/C), and two choriocarcinoma cell lines (JAR and JEG-3). RT-PCR analysis revealed that all these cell lines expressed the mRNA of TGF-beta1, -beta2, and -beta3, TGF-beta receptors type I, II, and III, and post-receptor signaling genes smad2, smad3, smad4, smad6, and smad7 with the exception that TGF-beta2 and smad3 were undetectable in JAR and JEG-3 cells. Immunoblot analysis confirmed the absence of smad3 protein in choriocarcinoma cells. Treatment with TGF-beta1 induced smad3 phosphorylation and smad3 translocation to the nucleus in the normal and premalignant trophoblast cells. These results suggest that loss of smad3 may account for a functional disruption in the TGF-beta signaling pathway in choriocarcinomas, but not in the premalignant trophoblast.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5C1.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chakraborty
authors.forename: P K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Lala
mesh_terms: D002822:Choriocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011247:Pregnancy; D015398:Signal Transduction; D051900:Smad3 Protein; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism*; D014328:Trophoblastic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014327:Trophoblasts / Q000378:metabolism*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C497790:SMAD3 protein, human; D051900:Smad3 Protein; D015534:Trans-Activators; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta