title: Formation and activation of fibroblast spheroids depend on fibronectin-integrin interaction.
abstract: Clustering of fibroblasts into spheroids induces a massive proinflammatory, proteolytic and growth-factor response, named nemosis, which promotes tumor cell invasiveness and differentiation of leukemia cells. We have now sought to investigate mechanisms leading to the formation of multicellular spheroids and subsequent activation of fibroblasts (nemosis). Cell lines either lacking fibronectin expression (FN-/-) or expressing FN with a mutated integrin-binding site (FNRGE/RGE) were unable to form compact spheroids. Furthermore, inhibition of FN synthesis by siRNA or functional inhibition of FN or its integrins impaired spheroid formation (alpha5, beta1) and quenched fibroblast activation (alphaV). The integrin ligand GRGDSP hexapeptide interfered with spheroid formation and induced activation of fibroblasts. Surprisingly, a 70 kDa FN fragment, which prevents deposition of FN matrix but does not interfere with FN-integrin interaction, prevented spheroid formation only marginally and did not block the activation. Our results present a new mechanism of fibroblast activation, which is initiated by interaction of FN with its integrin receptors.
authors.affiliation: Haartman Institute, POB 21, FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland. pertteli.salmenpera@helsinki.fi
authors.forename: Pertteli
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Salmenperä
authors.forename: Esko
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kankuri
authors.forename: Jozef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bizik
authors.forename: Vappu
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sirén
authors.forename: Ismo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Virtanen
authors.forename: Seiichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leiss
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fässler
authors.forename: Antti
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vaheri
mesh_terms: D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D005353:Fibronectins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D039482:Integrin alpha5 / Q000378:metabolism; D039564:Integrin alphaV / Q000378:metabolism; D019012:Integrin beta1 / Q000378:metabolism; D016023:Integrins / Q000378:metabolism*; D018874:Spheroids, Cellular
chemical_list: D005353:Fibronectins; D039482:Integrin alpha5; D039564:Integrin alphaV; D019012:Integrin beta1; D016023:Integrins