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Endocrinology Vol. 139, No. 12 4756-4764
Copyright © 1998 by The Endocrine Society


ARTICLES

Biological Response to ErbB Ligands in Nontransformed Cell Lines Correlates with a Specific Pattern of Receptor Expression

Srividya Sundaresan, Penelope E. Roberts, Kathleen L. King, Mark X. Sliwkowski and Jennie P. Mather

Department of Protein Chemistry, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, California 94080

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Srividya Sundaresan, Ph.D., 1 DNA Way, MS 45, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, California 94080. E-mail: vidya{at}gene.com


    Abstract
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
The human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER or ErbB) family consists of four distinct members, including the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor (EGFR, HER1, or ErbB1), ErbB2 (HER2 or neu), ErbB3 (HER3), and ErbB4 (HER4). Activation of these receptors plays an important role in the regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival in several different tissues. Binding of a specific ligand to one of the ErbB receptors triggers the formation of specific receptor homo- and heterodimers, with ErbB2 being the preferred signaling partner. We analyzed the levels of various ErbB receptor messenger RNAs in a series of nontransformed cell lines by real time quantitative RT-PCR. The cell lines chosen were derived from a variety of tissues, including pancreas, lung, heart, and nervous system. Further, we measured biological responses in these cell lines upon treatment with EGF, betacellulin, and two types of neuregulins, heregulin and sensory and motor neuron-derived factor. All cell lines examined expressed detectable levels of ErbB2. High levels of expression of ErbB3 were correlated with responsiveness to heregulin and sensory and motor neuron-derived factor, whereas high levels of EGFR expression were correlated with responsiveness to EGF and betacellulin. Moreover, the sensitivity of a cell line to ErbB ligands was also correlated with the levels of expression of the appropriate ErbB receptors in that cell line. These results are consistent with our hypothesis that appropriate biological responsiveness to ErbB ligands is determined by the levels of expression of specific ErbB receptor combinations within a given tissue.


    Introduction
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
THE BIOLOGICAL activities of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) family of ligands are mediated by their interaction with the ErbB family of receptor tyrosine kinases. The EGF family can be subdivided into four groups based on their receptor binding specificities. The first group binds to EGF receptor (EGFR) alone and includes EGF itself, transforming growth factor-{alpha} (1) and amphiregulin (2). The second group consists of ligands that bind to both EGFR and HER4, such as, betacellulin (BTC) (3, 4), heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (5), and epiregulin (6). Neuregulin-3 (NRG3) forms the third group with specificity for ErbB4 alone (7). The last group is made up of NRG1, which includes heregulins (HRGs)/neu differentiation factors such as HRGß1 and sensory and motor neuron-derived factor (SMDF), and NRG2 (8, 9). These ligands bind to ErbB3 and ErbB4 (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16). ErbB2 is the preferred heterodimerization partner for all of the other ErbB receptors, enhancing their affinities for the ligands and amplifying the elicited signals, even though it does not directly bind any of the above-mentioned ligands (17, 18, 19). Binding of a specific ligand induces dimerization, activation of the intracellular kinase domain, and receptor cross-phosphorylation (15, 20, 21).

ErbB receptors and ligands are widely expressed in epithelial, mesenchymal, and neuronal tissues and play fundamental roles during development (22, 23, 24, 25, 26). Inactivation of the EGFR gene was found to cause impaired epithelial development in several organs, including lung and gastrointestinal tract (26). Similarly, deletion of HRG, ErbB2, ErbB3, and ErbB4 resulted in several developmental abnormalities, with severe defects in cardiac, neural, and gastrointestinal development (23, 27, 28). In addition to their roles in development and differentiation, aberrant expression of these receptors has been reported in a wide variety of human cancers and in many instances has been correlated with poor patient prognosis (29, 30, 31). To understand the role played by ErbB receptors in neoplastic transformation and cancer progression, it is critical to understand the functioning of these receptors in nontransformed cells that normally express them. With a few exceptions (32, 33), many of the systems that have been employed to address the question of ErbB receptor expression and regulation have consisted of transformed cell lines or transfected cells that overexpress one or more of these receptors. We hypothesized that under normal conditions, it might be possible to predict the responsiveness to ErbB ligands based on the pattern and relative levels of the various ErbB receptor subunits in any given tissue. In this study, we test this hypothesis by examining the relationship between expression of various ErbB receptors and responsiveness to stimulation by different ErbB ligands in a series of nontransformed rodent cells and cell lines derived from lung, heart, nervous system, and pancreas, which are known targets for ErbB function.


    Materials and Methods
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Cell culture
Descriptions of all of the cell lines used in the study are listed in Table 1Go. BUD cells (Stephan, J., P. E. Roberts, L. Bald, J. Lee, G. Qimin, A. Helmrich, D. W. Barnes, J. P. Mather, manuscript submitted) were grown on dishes coated with fibronectin (Sigma Chemical Co., Inc., St. Louis, MO) in DMEM-Ham’s F-12 medium (a 1:1 mixture; obtained in powder form from Life Technologies, Grand Island, NY), containing recombinant human insulin (10 µg/ml; Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA), aprotinin (10 µg/ml; Boehringer Mannheim, Indianapolis, IN), recombinant human HRG-ß1 fragment corresponding to amino acids 177–244 (henceforth referred to as HRG; 10 nM; Genentech), group A (5 ng/ml EGF, 10 µg/ml bovine transferrin, 1 µM ethanolamine, 1 µM phosphatidylethanolamine, 40 nM selenium, and 5 pM T3; recombinant human EGF was obtained from Collaborative Research (Waltham, MA), selenious acid from Alfa Aesar Organics (Ward Hill, MA), and the rest from Sigma Chemical Co.], group C [1 nM hydrocortisone, 10 nM progesterone, and 1 µM forskolin; forskolin was obtained from Calbiochem (San Diego, CA) and the rest from Sigma Chemical Co.], and 5 µl/ml bovine pituitary extract [BPE; prepared as previously described (35)]. ASC cells (36) were grown on laminin-coated plates in DMEM-Ham’s F-12 medium containing insulin (10 µg/ml), transferrin (10 µg/ml), forskolin (4 µM), vitamin E (5 µg/ml; Aldrich, Milwaukee, WI), progesterone (3 nM), HRG (5 nM), and BPE (2 µl/ml). BR516 cells (35) were grown in DMEM-Ham’s F-12 medium supplemented with group A, group C, insulin (10 µg/ml), and BPE (8 µl/ml). SFME cells (37) were cultured on fibronectin-coated plates in DMEM-Ham’s F-12 medium containing selenium (40 nM), transferrin (10 µg/ml), insulin (10 µg/ml), and EGF (10 µg/ml). Primary cardiac myocyte (CM) cultures were isolated and prepared as described previously (38). They were cultured in DMEM-Ham’s F-12 medium supplemented with transferrin (10 µg/ml), insulin (1 µg/ml), aprotinin (1 µg/ml), glutamine (2 mmol/liter; Life Technologies), penicillin G (100 U/ml; Life Technologies), and streptomycin (1 µg/ml; Life Technologies).


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Table 1. A brief description of all cell lines used in this study

 
RNA isolation and real time quantitative RT-PCR
Cell monolayers were detached from the tissue culture dishes by treatment with either trypsin (Life Technologies) or collagenase/dispase (Boehringer Mannheim). Cells were collected by centrifugation, and cell pellets were processed for cytoplasmic RNA isolation using the RNeasy system (Qiagen, Valencia, CA), according to the protocol of the supplier. Final RNA concentrations were determined by OD at 260 nm, and integrity was verified by ethidium bromide staining of ribosomal 18S and 28S bands on an agarose gel.

Real-time quantitative RT-PCR analyses for EGFR, ErbB2, ErbB3, ErbB4, EGF, BTC, and HRG were performed using an ABI PRISM 7700 Sequence Detection System instrument and software (PE Applied Biosystems, Inc., Foster City, CA). The principles and protocols for RT-PCR analyses using this system have been previously described (39, 40, 41). Briefly, this method uses an oligonucleotide hybridization probe that is labeled with a reporter fluorescent dye (6-carboxy-fluorescein) at the 5'-end and with a quencher fluorescent dye (6-carboxy-tetramethylrhodamine) at the 3'-end. Before the start of the PCR reaction, when the probe is intact, the reporter dye emission is due to the physical proximity of the reporter and quencher fluorescent dyes. During the extension phase of the PCR cycle, however, the nucleolytic activity of the Taq DNA polymerase cleaves the hybridization probe and releases the reporter dye from the probe. The resulting relative increase in reporter fluorescent dye emission is monitored in real-time during PCR amplification using the Sequence Detection System. The ribosomal protein L19 (RPL19) was chosen as an internal standard to control for variability in amplification due to differences in starting messenger RNA (mRNA) concentrations. The expression of RPL19 mRNA itself is relatively uniform across the different cell lines tested (Fig. 1Go). Sequences for all primers and probes used in these analyses are listed in Table 2Go. It should be noted that the probe used to detect HRG mRNA will pick up any NRG1 isoform, including HRGß1 and SMDF. All primer sets were designed to yield products 150–250 bp in size. All reagents for RT-PCR reactions were purchased from Perkin Elmer (Norwalk, CT), except for the primers and probes that were synthesized at the oligonucleotide synthesis core facility at Genentech, Inc.. Each RT-PCR reaction consisted of 100 ng cytoplasmic RNA in buffer A (50 mM KCl, 10 mM Tris-HCl, and the internal standard dye, ROX), appropriate primers (200 nM) and probe (100 nM), 4.5 mM MgCl2, reverse transcriptase, 2.5 U AmpliTaq DNA polymerase, and 200 µM of each deoxy-NTP brought up to a final volume of 50 µl with water. Two sets of control reactions were performed for all RNA samples: one in which all of the above components were present except for RNA itself, and the other in which the reverse transcriptase alone was omitted. All reactions were performed under identical conditions, which consisted of RT at 48 C for 30 min, followed by 40 cycles of amplification with denaturation at 95 C for 30 sec, annealing at 55 C for 30 sec, and elongation at 72 C for 1 min. All RNA extractions and subsequent RT-PCR reactions were performed in triplicate. The relative expression level of the gene of interest was computed with respect to the mRNA expression level of the internal standard, RPL19, using the formula:

where Ct is the threshold cycle value (39, 40).



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Figure 1. Expression of RPL19 mRNA. Quantitative measurements of RPL19 mRNA were performed across the cell lines indicated. Expression of RPL19 mRNA in the cell lines is shown relative to the expression level in BUD cells. The results shown are the mean ±SD (n = 4).

 

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Table 2. Sequences of the oligonucleotides used as primers and probes

 
Western blots
Cell lysates from BUD, SFME, and ASC cells were prepared by lysing subconfluent dishes in a buffer containing 10 mM Tris (pH 8.0), 150 mM sodium chloride, 1% (wt/vol) sodium deoxycholate, 1% (vol/vol) Triton X-100, 0.1% (wt/vol) SDS, 1 mM leupeptin, and 1 mM phenylmethylsulfonylfluoride. Lysates were centrifuged at 15,000 x g for 15 min at 4 C to remove insoluble material. A volume of cell lysate equivalent to 75 µg total protein was reduced in Laemmli sample buffer for each sample and loaded on a 4–12% polyacrylamide gradient gel, and electrophoresis was performed at 125 V for 2 h. Proteins were then transferred to a nitrocellulose membrane (Protran BA-83, Schleicher & Schuell, Inc., Keene, NH) by electrophoretic transfer at 100 V for 1 h. The membrane was blocked overnight in PBS containing 10% nonfat milk and 0.1% Tween-20. Incubations with anti-EGFR, anti-ErbB2, anti-ErbB3, and anti-ErbB4 antibodies (all from Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc., Santa Cruz, CA) were performed at a dilution of 1:1000 at room temperature for 2 h. After a subsequent incubation with a secondary antibody (goat antirabbit IgG conjugated with horseradish peroxidase, at a dilution of 1:5000), detection was performed with the enhanced chemiluminescence system (Amersham, Arlington Heights, IL).

Growth assays
Cell proliferation in response to stimulation by ErbB ligands was measured by a colorimetric assay using the Alamar Blue reagent (Alamar Biosciences, Inc., Sacramento, CA). The reagent consists of an oxidation-reduction (REDOX) indicator that undergoes a colorimetric change due to the reduction of dye by living cells. The cells were plated in 96-well dishes coated with either fibronectin (BUD and SFME) or laminin (ASC) in the presence or absence (controls) of defined concentrations of EGF, recombinant human betacellulin (BTC; R & D Systems, Inc., Minneapolis, MN), HRG, or recombinant human SMDF (Genentech) (12), as indicated in the figure legends, in a total volume of 100 µl. After incubation at 37 C for 70 h, Alamar Blue reagent was added according to the manufacturer’s suggested procedure (Alamar Biosciences) and incubated at 37 C for 2 h. At the end of the incubation period, the fluorescence (which is proportional to cell number) (42, 43) was read at {lambda}ex - 530 nm and {lambda}em - 595 nm in a Biolumin 960 fluorescence plate reader (Molecular Dynamics, Inc., Sacramento, CA). All treatments were performed in triplicate and repeated in at least two separate experiments.

Statistical analyses
For RT-PCR data, a factorial ANOVA for receptor/ligand expression with gene and cell line as the factors was performed (software from StatView, Berkeley, CA). For growth assay data, ANOVA for fold induction of growth with ligand and concentration as the factors was performed for each cell line. Post-hoc analyses were performed using the Bonferroni-Dunn correction. P < 0.01 was considered statistically significant.


    Results
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Expression of EGF, BTC, and HRG mRNAs
RT-PCR analysis was performed to determine the level of expression of different ErbB ligands. The relatively uniform levels of expression of the internal standard RPL19 between the different cell lines in this study makes it a suitable internal standard (Fig. 1Go). The highest levels of EGF mRNA were observed in the CM cultures, followed by lower levels in ASC cells, and undetectable levels in the rest. BTC mRNA was undetectable in all the cell lines examined. Although HRG mRNA expression was detectable in ASC and CM cells, much higher expression levels were observed in the BUD and BR516 cell lines (P < 0.001 with respect to those in all other cell lines; Fig. 2Go).



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Figure 2. Expression of ErbB ligand mRNAs. Levels of EGF, BTC, and HRG mRNAs were determined by quantitative RT-PCR across the cell lines indicated. All measurements are shown relative to the expression levels of RPL19 mRNA for any given cell line. The results shown are the mean ± SD (n = 3). <LD indicates signals that were lower than detectable levels. Note that the y-axis is on a logarithmic scale.

 
Expression of ErbB receptor mRNAs
Further RT-PCR analysis was performed to determine the level of expression of different ErbB receptors in the same cell lines (Fig. 3Go). Highest levels of EGFR mRNA were seen in the SFME cell line (P < 0.0001 with respect to all cell lines), with lower levels in BUD and BR516 cell lines. There was no detectable expression of EGFR mRNA in the ASC cell line. Expression of ErbB2 mRNA was less restricted than that of the other receptor types and was detected in all of the cell lines tested. The highest expression of ErbB3 mRNA was seen in the Schwann cells (ASC; P < 0.0001 with respect to all cell lines). Lower levels were also detectable in the BUD and BR516 cell lines. The expression of ErbB4 mRNA appeared to be most restricted, with highest levels in the neonatal CM (P < 0.0005 with respect to all cell lines, except SFME) and lower levels in SFME cells.



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Figure 3. Expression of ErbB receptor mRNAs. Levels of EGFR, ErbB2, ErbB3, and ErbB4 mRNAs were determined by quantitative RT-PCR across the cell lines indicated. All measurements are shown relative to the expression levels of RPL19 mRNA for any given cell line. Results shown are the mean ± SD (n = 3). <LD indicates signals that were lower than detectable levels. Note that the y-axis is on a logarithmic scale.

 
Western blots
Levels of EGFR, ErbB2, ErbB3, and ErbB4 in ASC, BUD, and SFME cells were also analyzed by immunoblotting to ensure that the measurements of different receptor mRNAs reflect the levels of expression of these proteins (Fig. 4Go). These three cell lines were chosen because they represent the three types of receptor combinations found in this series of cell lines. The strongest immunoreactivity for EGFR was seen in SFME cells, with a much lower signal in the BUD cells, whereas highest levels of ErbB3 protein were seen in ASC cells, followed by a weaker signal in the BUD cells. All three cell lines expressed significant levels of ErbB2, consistent with the mRNA measurements. Due to the presence of two closely migrating species of ErbB2 in the BUD cells, the ErbB2 band appears wider in the BUD cells than in the ASC cells, although the intensity of the ErbB2 band is higher in the ASC cells. Similar migration of two ErbB2 species was seen in the SFME cell lysate, although here the separation between the bands was more distinct due to lower levels of ErbB2 in the SFME cells. Immunoreactivity for ErbB4 at the correct molecular mass (185 kDa) was only detected in SFME cells. Note that the use of different antibodies and exposure times did not allow direct comparison of protein levels between receptor immunoblots. The band intensities on each blot are proportional to the differences in mRNA expression levels, except in the case of ErbB2.



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Figure 4. Western blot analysis of ErbB receptor expression. Total cell lysates from SFME, BUD, and ASC cells were run on 4–12% polyacrylamide gels, transferred to a nitrocellulose membrane, and probed with the relevant antibodies, as indicated. The expected sizes of these receptors are: EGFR, 170 kDa; ErbB2, 185 kDa; ErbB3, 160 kDa; and ErbB4, 180 kDa.

 
Growth assays
To determine whether the presence of a receptor or a particular receptor combination correlated with responsiveness to an ErbB ligand, growth assays were performed with these cell lines in the presence or absence of defined concentrations of EGF, BTC, HRG, or SMDF. These ligands were chosen such that they exhibit different receptor specificities. The results of treating these cell lines with different concentrations (0, 2.5, 5, 10, and 20 nM) of EGF, BTC, HRG, and SMDF are shown in Fig. 5Go. Significant growth stimulation was observed in BUD and BR516 cells in response to stimulation with EGF, BTC, and HRG (P < 0.001). Neither of these cell lines responded to SMDF at any of the doses tested. Both EGF and BTC stimulated cell proliferation in SFME cells (P < 0.001), although these cells were unresponsive to HRG and SMDF addition. The ASC cells, on the other hand, responded robustly to stimulation by HRG and SMDF (P < 0.001), but were unresponsive to EGF and BTC addition. The maximal growth response was observed even at the lowest dose of 2.5 nM for EGF and BTC in the BUD, BR516, and SFME cells. Likewise, the growth response in ASC cells to HRG and SMDF was maximal at 2.5 nM. The CM cells were not tested in the growth assay, because they are terminally differentiated myocytes and do not proliferate any further in vitro. However, an important end point of responsiveness to hormonal and cytokine stimulation in these cells is a hypertropic response (38). Of the four ligands tested, EGF, BTC, and SMDF did not cause any significant hypertrophy, whereas HRG induced a slight hypertropic response (data not shown).



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Figure 5. Growth assays in the nanomolar range. Cells were treated with various doses of ligands, as indicated, for 72 h, and growth measurements were made (see Materials and Methods). Results from a representative experiment are shown, and data are represented as the fold induction of growth over the control value. Each point represents the mean ± SD (n = 3).

 
To determine whether the level of expression of a particular receptor or receptor combination also affected the sensitivity of response to a given ligand, treatments with EGF, BTC, and HRG were also carried out at a lower dose range (0, 1, 5, 25, and 125 pM), and growth responses were measured for all cell lines (Fig. 6Go), except CM. Treatment with EGF and BTC elicited responses in BR516 and SFME cells at 5–25 pM, although the magnitude of response was different between these two cell lines. The ASC cell line, which has high levels of ErbB3, showed the greatest sensitivity to HRG, with detectable response at 5–25 pM. The BR516 cell line did not respond to HRG in this dose range. The BUD cell line did not respond to any of these ligands in this dose range.



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Figure 6. Growth assays in the picomolar range. Cells were treated with various doses of ligands, as indicated, for 72 h, and growth measurements were made (see Materials and Methods). Results from a representative experiment are shown, and data are represented as the fold induction of growth over the control value. Each point represents the mean ± SD (n = 3).

 
As the BUD and BR516 cell lines appeared to be synthesizing the highest levels of HRG mRNA among the series of cell lines tested, possible autocrine effects of HRG on these two lines were next examined. In this instance, BUD and BR516 cells were cultured in the presence or absence of ErbB4-IgG fusion protein (10 µg/ml; Fig. 7Go). This protein consists of the extracellular domain of ErbB4 fused to IgG and would be expected to bind and sequester free extracellular HRG (44). The BUD cells remained unaffected in the presence of the ErbB4-IgG fusion protein and showed no change in the basal growth rate. In contrast, the BR516 cells showed a 40% reduction in the basal growth rate in the presence of the ErbB4-IgG fusion protein (P < 0.005).



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Figure 7. Effect of ErbB4-IgG on growth of BUD and BR516 cells. BUD and BR516 cells were treated with ErbB4-IgG (10 µg/ml) in the absence of exogenous ErbB ligands in the growth medium. After 70 h of treatment, growth assays were performed (see Materials and Methods). Data are represented as a percentage of growth, with untreated controls representing 100% growth. Results are the mean ± SD (n = 6). *, P < 0.005 vs. control.

 

    Discussion
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
This study was initiated to examine the role of the ErbB family of receptors and ligands in nontransformed cells and cell lines, derived from tissues where the receptors are normally expressed and functional. The cell lines chosen cover a range of tissue types (heart, lung, pancreas, and nervous system) and represent different ErbB expression patterns. In addition, various ErbB gene deletions resulted in considerable developmental abnormalities in these tissues. Abnormalities in cardiac and brain development have been observed in mice that lack HRG, ErbB2, ErbB3, and ErbB4, although the cardiac effects were less severe for the ErbB3 knockout mice (23, 27, 28). ErbB3 knockout mice also exhibited disruption in development of the pancreas and other gastrointestinal organs. These data suggest that the ErbB family plays an important role in the development of these tissues.

Measurement of ErbB receptor mRNA levels indicated that all the cell lines examined expressed either moderate (BUD, BR516, SFME, and CM) or high (ASC) levels of ErbB2. This result is in agreement with the generally accepted model of the ErbB2 receptor acting as a signaling partner for the other ErbB receptors. The Schwann cells showed high levels of expression of ErbB3 compared with the other cell lines (35-fold higher than BR516 and BUD cell lines), and these cells responded most robustly to stimulation with either HRG or SMDF, another neuregulin isoform. The response to HRG was detected even at 25 pM, whereas the response to SMDF was detectable from 125 pM. Even though the BUD and BR516 cells respond to HRG at nanomolar doses, they did not show any significant increases in growth rates upon treatment with picomolar doses of HRG. One possible explanation for this result would involve the autocrine stimulation of these cells by endogenously synthesized HRG secreted by the cells themselves, thereby making them insensitive to low doses of exogenous ligand. Conditioned medium collected from BUD and BR516 cells did not contain detectable levels of the ligand, as measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay assay (data not shown) that detects HRG levels as low as 1.25 nM. However, very low concentrations of HRG might be sufficient to produce an autocrine effect, and in addition, membrane-bound forms of HRG and other ErbB ligands have been shown to be capable of signaling (45, 46, 47, 48). Therefore, we used a fusion protein consisting of the extracellular domain of ErbB4 conjugated to IgG to antagonize endogenous HRG that may be membrane bound or secreted into the medium of BUD and BR516 cells. Addition of this fusion protein caused no change in the growth properties of the BUD cells under basal conditions, indicating that these cells are not likely to undergo autocrine stimulation by HRG. However, the reduction in the growth rate of BR516 cells indicates that HRG and/or some other secreted ligand that is capable of binding to ErbB4 is involved in autocrine stimulation of these cells.

In addition to such autocrine effects, there is evidence for a paracrine role for the ErbB ligands as well, with the active ligand secreted from the adjacent mesenchymal compartment or other closely associated cells (23, 25, 49, 50). For instance, CMs are in close contact with fibroblasts in the surrounding heart tissue. When RNA extracted from a purified population of these fibroblasts was assayed for expression of ErbB ligands and receptors, high levels of HRG mRNA were detected, with no detectable levels of ErbB3 and ErbB4 (data not shown). Thus, HRG secreted by cardiac fibroblasts may be available to simulate CMs in a paracrine fashion. Cardiac fibroblasts have been shown to secrete other factors in culture that can stimulate hypertrophy in CMs (38).

The differential sensitivities of BUD, BR516, and ASC cells to HRG suggest that in addition to determining whether a particular cell will respond to a specific ligand, the receptor levels also determine the sensitivity of the cell to that ligand. This effect is also seen with respect to the effect of low doses of EGF on the BUD and SFME cell lines. In this instance, although the BUD cells respond to EGF at higher doses, they fail to do so in the picomolar dose range. In contrast, the SFME cell line that expresses high levels of EGFR (7- and 20-fold greater than BR156 and BUD, respectively) is able to respond to picomolar doses of EGF. As the SFME cells require EGF for survival (51), it is difficult to interpret data from treatments with doses lower than 25 pM, which is the minimum dose required for survival. At doses higher than 25 pM, SFME cells respond more robustly to EGF than any of the other cell lines in this series (10-fold greater response that BUD or BR516 cell lines). This effect may be partly attributed to the death of control cells grown in the absence of EGF, thereby increasing the apparent magnitude of response. Although BUD and BR516 cells appear to have similar ErbB receptor levels, it should be noted that there is a 50% higher expression of EGFR in BR516 cells compared with that in BUD cells. This difference might account for the differential responsiveness of BUD and BR516 cells to picomolar doses of EGF.

Neither BR516 nor BUD cells responded to SMDF even in the higher (nanomolar) dose range. It has been demonstrated in vitro that the binding affinity of SMDF for ErbB2/3 dimer is lower than its affinity for the ErbB2/4 pair, but in either case it is not nearly as high as the affinity of these heterodimers for HRG (Osheroff, P. L., S. P. Tsai, N. Y. Chiang, K. L. King, J. P. Mather, manuscript in preparation). However, the lower affinity of the ligand may be compensated for in the Schwann cells by the high expression levels of ErbB2 and ErbB3, providing a possible explanation for the responsiveness of these cells to SMDF, in contrast to that of the BUD and BR516 cell lines.

The tight correlation observed between the levels of expression of certain ErbB receptors and the growth responsiveness to ligand stimulation (summarized in Table 3Go) supports the hypothesis that the growth responsiveness of a tissue type to a specific ErbB ligand is dependent on the ErbB receptor expression profile in that tissue. Similar results have been obtained in certain other studies that have used cells transfected with one or more ErbB receptors (53, 54, 55). Our study further extends these observations to include nontransformed and untransfected cells derived from normal tissues. In the current series of experiments, high expression of EGFR correlated with increased growth stimulation by EGF and BTC, whereas high levels of ErbB3 correlated with a greater mitogenic response to HRG and SMDF, with all cell lines expressing appreciable levels of ErbB2. However, unlike the other ErbB receptors, levels of ErbB2 protein did not correlate well with mRNA levels. It should be noted that mRNA levels do not always accurately reflect protein levels for many reasons, including differential rates of synthesis and proteolysis for different proteins. It should also be noted that we have only examined one end point of ligand stimulation, namely growth. Whether other effects of ErbB stimulation, such as differentiation or survival, are similarly correlated with the expression levels of ErbB receptors or whether different levels of receptor occupancy might be required for different responses remains to be determined. Furthermore, it is conceivable that treatment of these cell lines with ErbB ligands may induce the expression of growth factors or alter the expression of different ErbB receptors and ligands. In addition, these growth experiments can be expected to estimate the upper range of dose required for biological responsiveness, because in vivo ligand production is likely to be continuous (at least for short periods of time) rather than the single dose stimulation given in vitro in these experiments.


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Table 3. Summary of receptor expression and ligand sensitivity in the BUD, BR156, ASC, and SFME cell lines; the affinities of the ErbB ligands used in this study for the different ErbB receptors are also indicated

 
Although our results are generally in agreement with proposed ErbB ligand receptor specificities from other studies in this field, it is clear from our studies that biological response to ErbB ligands may vary considerably between cell lines that express different levels of the same receptors. It is therefore important to interpret data from overexpression studies with caution because they may not accurately reflect the responsiveness of tissues expressing normal levels of these receptors. In summary, using a series of nontransformed cell lines, we have demonstrated that the ability of normal cells to respond to ErbB ligands is dependent on the levels of expression of specific ErbB receptors. Such experiments are crucial in understanding the receptor-response relationship under normal conditions and in providing important clues on the ability of different tissues to respond differentially to the same ligand.


    Acknowledgments
 
The authors thank Jane Winer for preparation of CM cultures, Phyllis Osheroff for providing SMDF, P. Mickey Williams for helpful discussions, Paul Pisacane for performing the HRG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and, James Reimann and Srikantan Nagarajan for assistance with statistical analyses.

Received June 30, 1998.


    References
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 

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