Platelet-derived growth factor or basic fibroblast growth factor induce anchorage-independent growth of human fibroblasts

✍ Scribed by Helen Palmer; Veronica M. Maher; J. Justin McCormick

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1988
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 546 KB
• Volume: 137
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-9541
• DOI: 10.1002/jcp.1041370328

✦ Synopsis

Anchorage-independent growth, i.e., growth in semi-solid medium is considered a marker of cellular transformation of fibroblast cells. Diploid human fibroblasts ordinarily do not exhibit such growth but can grow transiently when medium contains high concentrations of fetal bovine serum. This suggests that some growth factorb) in serum is responsible for anchorage-independent growth. Much work has been done to characterize the peptide growth factor requirements of various rodent fibroblast cells for anchorage-independent growth; however, the requirements of human fibroblasts are not known. To determine the peptide growth factor requirements of human fibroblasts for anchorageindependent growth, we used medium containing serum that had had its peptide growth factors inactivated. We found that either platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) or the basic form of fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) induced anchorage-independent growth. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) did not enhance the growth induced by PDGF, or did so only slightly. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-P) decreased the growth induced by PDGF. ECF combined with TCF-P induced colony formation in semi-solid medium at concentrations at which neither growth factor by itself was effective, but the combination was much less effective in stimulating anchorage-independent growth than PDCF or bFCF. This work showed that PDGF, or bFGF, or EGF combined with TGF-P can stimulate anchorageindependent growth of nontransformed human fibroblasts. The results support the idea that cellular transformation may reduce or eliminate the need for exogenous PDCF or bFGF.