title: Inhibitory effect of c-Met mutants on the formation of branching tubules by a porcine aortic endothelial cell line.
abstract: The association of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) with its high-affinity receptor (c-Met) has been shown to induce mitogenesis, motogenesis and morphogenesis in a variety of cell types. Various point mutations in c-Met have been identified in hereditary and sporadic papillary renal carcinomas as well as in other carcinomas. In the present study, we examined the effects of c-Met point mutations on the morphology of a porcine aortic endothelial (PAE) cell line. When cultured in three-dimensional collagen gel, PAE cells formed branching tubule structures, and HGF treatment caused breakdown of the structures and induced a scattered morphology. The exogenous expression of c-Met point mutants inhibited the formation of tubules. HGF treatment induced the formation of tubules by PAE cells expressing some c-Met mutants, but it induced the scattering of PAE cells expressing other c-Met mutants. The presence of a low concentration of a mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitor cancelled the inhibitory effect of the c-Met point mutations on the formation of tubules. These results suggest that c-Met point mutations affect the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling required for the formation of tubules by PAE cells, and HGF binding changes the conformation of c-Met mutants, leading to the different signals required for formation of tubules and cell scattering.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Marino
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maemura
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yoshimoto
authors.forename: Yu-Ichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsukada
authors.forename: Yasuyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Morishita
authors.forename: Keiji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miyazawa
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Naomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kitamura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development*; D002478:Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor / Q000494:pharmacology; D020930:MAP Kinase Kinase Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 / Q000378:metabolism; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D010641:Phenotype; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D019859:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D019859:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D020930:MAP Kinase Kinase Kinases