Kyong-Ja Hong

Expression of thrombospondin-1 in human hepatocarcinoma cell lines and its regulation by transcription factor Jun/AP-1.

Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) is a homotrimeric glycoprotein synthesized in a variety of normal and transformed cells, and secreted into the extracellular matrix. Based on its known effects on the tumor and endothelial cells, TSP-1 was implicated in the tumor growth and metastasis. In the present study, we have demonstrated the expression of TSP-1 in the human hepatocarcinoma cell lines. TSP-1 was detected in human hepatocarcinoma SK-HEP-1, Hep 3B and immortalized human liver Chang cells. Using two different cell lines, SK-HEP-1 and Hep 3B cells, we have studied effects of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) on TSP-1 expression. TSP-1 synthesis was stimulated by PMA in both cell lines. When the cells were treated with PMA, the TSP-1 mRNA started to increase at 30 min and reached the maximal level at 6 h. TSP-1 induction by PMA was completely inhibited by the pre-treatment of 1-(5-isoquinolinylsulfonyl)-2-methylpiperazine (H-7), a potent protein kinase C inhibitor. A TSP-1 promoter-luciferase reporter gene was transcriptionally activated by PMA, as well as by the expression of c-Jun. Among three putative AP-1 recognition sites on the TSP-1 promoter, a deletion of the 1st and 2nd sites caused loss of PMA-induced up-regulation, while the 3rd site deletion showed no effect. In subsequent experiments, both the recombinant c-Jun and nuclear proteins induced by PMA have a stronger binding affinity for the 2nd AP-1 recognition site than the 1st and 3rd ones. Our study demonstrated that TSP-1 could be expressed and secreted by human hepatoma cell lines and its expression could be effectively regulated by PMA. We also suggest that AP-1 binding activity through the protein kinase C activation is a critical event for the TSP-1 gene expression and consequently affects production and processing of the protein.

Induction of TSP1 gene expression by heat shock is mediated via an increase in mRNA stability.

Thrombospondin‐1 (TSP1) expression has previously been shown to be regulated primarily at the level of transcription. In the present study, transcriptional control was not involved in the induction of TSP1 by heat shock. In contrast, heat shock caused significant stabilization of TSP1 mRNA. Fusion of the 3′‐untranslated region (UTR) of TSP1 mRNA, with a reporter gene, increased the stability of the reporter transcript by heat shock. Furthermore, we identified a putative region from 968 to 1258 from the stop codon in the TSP1 3′‐UTR, involved in the stability by heat shock. Thus, the induction of TSP1 by heat shock may occur through a post‐transcriptional mechanism.

Inhibition of trichostatin A-induced antiangiogenesis by small-interfering RNA for thrombospondin-1

Expression of thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), which is a known inhibitor of tumor growth and angiogenesis, is reciprocally regulated by positive regulators, such as VEGF. Additionally, trichostatin A (TSA) suppresses tumor progression by altering VEGF levels and VEGF-mediated signaling. Thus, understanding TSA-regulated TSP-1 expression and the effects of altered TSP-1 levels might provide insights into the mechanism of action of TSA in anti-tumorigenesis, and provide an approach to cancer therapy. Here, we examined the effect of TSA on TSP-1 expression, and the effects of TSA-induced TSP-1 on cell motility and angiogenesis, in HeLa and bovine aortic endothelial cells. TSA remarkably increased TSP-1 expression at the mRNA and protein levels, by controlling the TSP-1 promoter activity. Both TSA and exogenous TSP-1 reduced cell migration and capillary-like tube formation and these activities were confirmed by blocking TSP-1 with its neutralizing antibody and small-interfering RNA. Our results suggest that TSP-1 is a potent mediator of TSA-induced anti- angiogenesis.

Cell-type specific regulation of thrombospondin-1 expression and its promoter activity by regulatory agents.

Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), a multifunctional protein that is able to function as a negative regulator of solid tumor progression and angiogenesis, is normally present at a very low level but rapidly elevated in pathological tissues. To understand the cellular regulation of TSP-1 expression, the mode of its expression in Hep3B, SK-HEP-1, and porcine aortic endothelial (PAE) cells was examined in the presence of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). ATRA or IL-6 induced a dose-dependent increase of TSP-1 protein and mRNA levels in PAE cells, while they negatively regulated TSP-1 expression in the Hep3B and SK-HEP-1 cells. In contrast, PMA showed just the opposite effects on the TSP-1 expression in the same cells. IFN-γ had little effect on TSP-1 level in Hep3B and PAE cells. The TSP-1 expression in SK-HEP-1 cells by these agents showed a close resemblance to that of liver cells rather than that of the endothelial cell line. Possible TSP-1 promoter-mediated responses by ATRA, IL-6, IFN-γ, or PMA in Hep3B and PAE cells examined with luciferase activity of TSP-LUC reporter plasmid showed that levels of TSP-1 promoter activity were lower than that of the expressed TSP-1 protein and mRNA levels. Transfection of c-Jun and/or RARα expression vectors into Hep3B and PAE cells resulted in the enhanced TSP-1 promoter activity as well as the increments of of its protein and mRNA level. These results suggest that regulatory agents-induced TSP-1 expression may be attributed to mRNA stability and/or translational activation in concert with transcriptional activation and TSP-1 expression may be independently controlled via each signal pathway stimulated by PMA or ATRA.

Responsive site on the thrombospondin-1 promotor to down-regulation by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate in porcine aortic endothelial cells

Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), a multifunctional extracellular matrix protein, inhibits neovascularization and is implicated in the regression of tumor growth and metastasis. We found that the synthesis of TSP-1 in porcine aortic endothelial (PAE) cells was decreased in a dose-dependent manner by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) treatment in porcine aortic endothelial (PAE) cells. In this study, a responsive site on the TSP-1 promotor affected by PMA treatment in PAE was characterized. The level of TSP-1 mRNA was also decreased by PMA after 1 h and persisted that way for at least 24 h. PMA treatment and c-Jun overexpression suppressed the transcription of TSP-1 promotor-luciferase reporter gene. A deletion between -767 and -657 on the TSP-1 promotor neutralized the PMA-induced down-regulation. In addition, oligo a (-767 ∼-723) was responsive to PMA-induced repression, while oligo b (-734 ∼-689) and c (-700 ∼-656) was not. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed that this PMA responsive element specifically bound a nuclear protein and that the binding activity was diminished by PMA treatment in PAE cells but not in Hep 3B cells. In supershift assay, potential regulatory elements in this region, SP1 and GATA-1, were not responsive to the inhibition of TSP-1 expression by PMA. Our results suggest that the repression of TSP-1 synthesis by PMA is mediated by blocking a particular unknown nuclear protein binding to the responsive site (-767 ∼-735), which is regulated by c-Jun.

Differential regulation of thrombospondin-1 expression and antiangiogenesis of ECV304 cells by trichostatin A and helixor A

Trichostatin A and helixor A increased thrombospondin-1 expression by ECV304 cells at both mRNA and protein levels by transcriptional activation through the enhancement of tsp-1 promoter activity. The induction of thrombospondin-1 by these agents potently reduced ECV 304 cell migration and capillary-like tube formation on Matrigel; these findings were confirmed by the neutralization of thrombospondin-1 using a specific antibody. In the presence of exogenous vascular endothelial growth factor, however, these agents had a different effect on the vascular endothelial growth factor-induced tube formation; trichostatin A remarkably inhibited tube formation regardless of the presence of exogenous vascular endothelial growth factor, whereas helixor A reduced it to 70–80% of the control level. Interestingly, when the helixor A-generated conditioned media were concentrated three-fold and the endogenous vascular endothelial growth factor was removed, tube formation was remarkably inhibited compared with the effect of three-fold concentrated conditioned media that had endogenous vascular endothelial growth factor. Additionally, in media with endogenous vascular endothelial growth factor that were concentrated five-fold, tube formation was markedly blocked regardless of the presence of exogenous or endogenous vascular endothelial growth factor. Thus, our results indicate that trichostatin A-induced or helixor A-induced antiangiogenesis is mediated by both agents; increased, absolute and relative levels of thrombospondin-1 to the vascular endothelial growth factor level are critical in angiogenesis.

Suppression of Thrombospondin-1 Expression by PMA in the Porcine Aortic Endothelial Cells

Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), a negative regulator in tumor growth and angiogenesis, is cell-type specifically regulated and at transcriptional level by external stimuli. Previously, we found that phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) suppressed TSP-1 expression in porcine aortic endothelial (PAE) cell, but enhanced in hepatoma cell line, Hep 3B cell. A region between -767 and -723 on the tsp-1 promoter was defined as a responsive site to the suppression in PAE cell. eased on the previous results, the molecular mechanism of TSP-1 expression was determined by characterizing interactions between cis-elements and trans-factors using three overlapped oligonucleotide probes, oligo a-1 (from -767 to -738), a-2 (-759 to -730) and a-3 (-752 to -723). The results from electromobility shift assay showed that PMA-induced suppression of TSP-1 transcription in PAE cell might be caused via a negative regulator binding to the region from -752 to -730 and additionally generated by lacking two positive regulators binding to the sites from -767 to -760 and from -752 to -730. Especially, PMA enhanced the binding ability of the negative regulator to the site from -752 to -730 in PAE cell, but anti-c-Jun did not affected its binding ability.