title: Human T-leukemia and T-lymphoma express glutamate receptor AMPA GluR3, and the neurotransmitter glutamate elevates the cancer-related matrix-metalloproteinases inducer CD147/EMMPRIN, MMP-9 secretion and engraftment of T-leukemia in vivo.
abstract: Glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter of the nervous system. We previously found that glutamate activates normal human T-cells, inducing their adhesion and chemotaxis, via its glutamate receptors of the alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) subtype 3 (GluR3) expressed in these cells. Here, we discovered that human T-leukemia (Jurkat) and cutaneous sezary T-lymphoma (HuT-78) cells also express high levels of GluR3. Furthermore, glutamate (10 nM) elevates CD147/EMMPRIN, a cancer-associated matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) inducer, promoting spread of many tumors. Glutamate-induced CD147 elevation in both cancerous and normal human T-cells was mimicked by AMPA (glutamate/AMPA-receptor agonist) and blocked by CNQX (glutamate/AMPA-receptor antagonist). Importantly, glutamate also increased gelatinase MMP-9 secretion by T-lymphoma. Finally, ex vivo pre-treatment of T-leukemia with glutamate enhanced their subsequent in vivo engraftment into chick embryo liver and chorioallantoic membrane. Together, these findings reveal that glutamate elevates cancer associated proteins and activity in T-cell cancers and by doing so may facilitate their growth and spread, especially to and within the nervous system. If so, glutamate receptors in T-cell malignancies should be blocked.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, the Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
authors.forename: Yonatan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ganor
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Grinberg
authors.forename: Arbel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.forename: Itzik
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: Ronald S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Goldstein
authors.forename: Mia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Levite
mesh_terms: D018750:6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D051926:Basigin / Q000378:metabolism*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002642:Chick Embryo; D049033:Chorioallantoic Membrane / Q000378:metabolism / Q000601:surgery; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D019169:Jurkat Cells; D015458:Leukemia, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 / Q000378:metabolism*; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018091:Receptors, AMPA / Q000378:metabolism*; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous
chemical_list: D018091:Receptors, AMPA; C104723:glutamate receptor ionotropic, AMPA 3; D051926:Basigin; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D018750:6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9