title: MEL4B3, a novel mRNA is induced in skin tumors and regulated by TGF-beta and pro-inflammatory cytokines.
abstract: Tumor-stroma interactions play a decisive role in the growth and metastasis of solid tumors, and involve signalling either by soluble mediators or direct cell-cell interaction. Here, we report the isolation and characterisation of a novel cDNA (MEL4B3), which is induced in cultured dermal fibroblasts exposed to supernatants of melanoma cell lines. MEL4B3 shares high homology with two predicted cDNA sequences for which no activity has so far been described. In situ hybridisation revealed the expression of MEL4B3 in malignant melanoma increasing with tumor depth; in basal cell carcinoma and in squamous cell carcinoma. MEL4B3 was barely detectable in normal skin or non-malignant melanocytic naevi. Furthermore, MEL4B3 was expressed at high level in the epidermis of psoriatic skin. In vitro, the expression of MEL4B3 was found to be induced by the exposure of human dermal fibroblasts to melanoma cell culture supernatants or to transforming growth factor-beta, interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. The expression MEL4B3 therefore reflects closely cell activation occurring during tumor growth, metastasis and inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Saxon Academy of Science in Leipzig, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany. andu@medizin.uni-leipzig.de
authors.forename: Ulf
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Anderegg
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Breitschwerdt
authors.forename: Martin J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Köhler
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sticherling
authors.forename: Uwe-Frithjof
authors.initials: UF
authors.lastname: Haustein
authors.forename: Jan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saalbach
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000378:metabolism; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003470:Culture Media / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned / Q000494:pharmacology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D007249:Inflammation; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D008833:Microcirculation; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000502:physiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018075:RNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned; D016207:Cytokines; D018076:DNA, Complementary; C505811:FNDC1 protein, human; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D018075:RNA, Complementary; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta