Transforming growth factor-β inhibits rat intestinal cell growth by regulating cell cycle specific gene expression

ABSTRACT Notch signaling influences a variety of cell fate decisions during development, and constitutive activation of the pathway can provoke unbridled cell growth and cancer. The mechanisms by which Notch affects cell growth are not well established. We describe here a novel link between Notch and cell cycle control. We found that Mv1Lu epithelial cells harboring an oncogenic form of Notch (NICD) are resistant to the cell cycle-inhibitory effects of transforming growth factor β (TGF-β). NICD did not affect TGF-β signaling per se but blocked induction of the Cdk inhibitor p15INK4B. c-Myc, whose down-regulation by TGF-β is required for p15INK4B induction, remained elevated in the NICD-expressing cells. c-Myc expression was also maintained in low serum, indicating that Notch's effects on c-Myc are not specific to TGF-β. Our results are consistent with a model in which a strong Notch signal indirectly deregulates c-Myc expression and thereby renders Mv1Lu epithelial cells resistant to growth-inhibitory signals.

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Transforming growth factor β-1 enhances Smad transcriptional activity through activation of p8 gene expression

Biochemical Journal ◽

10.1042/bj3570249 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 357 (1) ◽

pp. 249-253 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Andrés C. GARCÍA-MONTERO ◽

Sophie VASSEUR ◽

Luciana E. GIONO ◽

Eduardo CANEPA ◽

Silvia MORENO ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Growth Factor ◽

Cell Growth ◽

Mrna Expression ◽

Transcriptional Activity ◽

Transforming Growth Factor ◽

Transforming Growth Factor Β ◽

Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts ◽

Expression Plasmid ◽

Embryonic Fibroblasts

We report that exposure of mouse embryonic fibroblasts to transforming growth factor β-1 (TGFβ-1) (5ng/ml) results in a strong activation of p8 mRNA expression that precedes the induction of cell growth. Involvement of the p8 promoter in the regulation was demonstrated by using a p8–chloramphenicol acetyltransferase construct. We therefore speculated that p8 might be a mediator of TGFβ-1 in these cells. The incorporation of [3H]thymidine on treatment with TGFβ-1 was indeed significantly higher in p8+/+ fibroblasts than in p8−/− fibroblasts. Smad transcriptional activity was used as marker of the TGFβ-1 signalling pathway, to probe the lower p8−/− response to TGFβ-1. Two Smad-binding elements (SBEs)–luciferase constructs were transfected into p8−/− and p8+/+ embryonic fibroblasts before treatment with TGFβ-1. A lower level of Smad transactivation was observed in p8−/− embryonic fibroblasts, under basal conditions and after stimulation with TGFβ-1. To test whether Smad underexpression in p8−/− cells was actually due to p8 depletion, p8−/− embryonic fibroblasts were transfected with a human p8 expression plasmid together with an SBE–luciferase construct. The expression of p8 restored Smad transactivation in unstimulated and TGFβ-1-treated cells to the level found in p8+/+ cells. We concluded that TGFβ-1 activates p8 expression, which in turn enhances the Smad-transactivating function responsible for TGFβ-1 activity.

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