Long-term exposure to elevated levels of circulating TIMP-1 but not mammary TIMP-1 suppresses growth of mammary carcinomas in transgenic mice.
Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) regulates matrix metalloproteinase activity, acts as a growth stimulator and inhibits apoptosis. We developed transgenic mice to evaluate the relevance of circulating versus mammary TIMP-1 in mammary carcinogenesis. The transgene was placed under the control of the albumin (Alb) promoter for the production of large amounts of TIMP-1 in the liver and release into the systemic circulation to achieve chronically elevated blood levels. The initial 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) mammary carcinogenesis study showed greatly decreased tumor incidence in heterozygous Alb-TIMP-1 mice (25%), compared with their wild-type (wt) littermates (83.3%). Metastatic mammary carcinomas were induced in the Alb-TIMP-1 mice through breeding with mice expressing the polyomavirus Middle T antigen (MT) under the control of the mouse mammary tumor virus-long terminal repeat (MMTV-LTR). Both the mammary tumor burden and the incidence of lung metastases were lower in the Alb-TIMP-1/MMTV-MT mice than their MMTV-MT littermates. Analysis of the Alb-TIMP-1/MMTV-MT tumors showed evidence of decreased proliferative activity and inhibition of apoptosis, whereas microvascular density was not affected. Transgenic expression of TIMP-1 in mammary epithelial cells was accomplished by using MMTV-LTR. In contrast to the Alb-TIMP-1 mice, there was insignificant difference in the growth of both DMBA- and MT-induced mammary tumors between heterozygous MMTV-TIMP-1 mice and their wt littermates. The MT-induced mammary tumors of the MMTV-TIMP-1 mice were separated into 'low' and 'high' TIMP-1 expressing groups. The 'high' TIMP-1 expressing tumors exhibited significantly higher proliferative activity than the tumors of the MMTV-MT only mice, whereas the number of apoptotic cells and microvascular density were not different. The findings of this study show that circulating TIMP-1, but not mammary-derived TIMP-1, has growth suppressive effects on DMBA and MT-induced mammary carcinomas.
Yamazaki
Masaharu
M
Laboratory of Cellular Carcinogenesis and Tumor Promotion, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Akahane
Takemi
T
Buck
Todd
T
Yoshiji
Hitoshi
H
Gomez
Daniel E
DE
Schoeffner
Daniel J
DJ
Okajima
Eijiro
E
Harris
Steven R
SR
Bunce
Opal R
OR
Thorgeirsson
Snorri S
SS
Thorgeirsson
Unnur P
UP
D015127:9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene / Q000633:toxicity; D000418:Albumins / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D000952:Antigens, Polyomavirus Transforming / Q000235:genetics; D017209:Apoptosis; D005260:Female; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000556:secondary; D008325:Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008324:Mammary Tumor Virus, Mouse / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D020079:Terminal Repeat Sequences / Q000235:genetics; D019715:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019076:Transgenes
D000418:Albumins; D000952:Antigens, Polyomavirus Transforming; D019715:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1; D015127:9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene