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ABSTRACT: The submandibular gland-derived tumor cell line SCA-9 is considered a useful tool to study the signaling pathways involved in proliferation, and their regulation, triggered by different stimuli. It is proposed that the non neuronal cholinergic system: acethylcholine, the enzymes that synthesize and degrade it, and the nicotinic and muscarinic receptors, play a key role in tumorigenesis. Here, we investigate the role of muscarinic receptors in SCA-9 cell proliferation, and the modulation of cholinergic signaling pathways exerted by the nuclear transcription factor κB (NF-κB). The activation of cholinergic receptors by carbachol (10⁻⁹M) increased cell proliferation (P<0.001). This was prevented by preincubating cells with the muscarinic antagonist atropine but not by mecamylamine, a nicotinic receptor blocker. Phospholipase C (PLC)/nitric oxide synthase (NOS)/arginase pathway is involved in this effect, since carbachol stimulated nitric oxide production, increased NOS2 and NOS3 expressions, urea production, and arginase II expression (P<0.001). Also, phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂)/cyclooxygenase (COX) pathway is up-regulated in carbachol-induced SCA-9 cell proliferation, because prostaglandin E₂ liberation (P<0.001) is increased and COX-1 expression is turned up (P<0.001). Interactions between PLC/NOS/arginases and PLA₂/COX pathways via its metabolites were detected. SCA-9 cells exhibit a constitutive activation of NF-κB, which regulates carbachol-induced NOS2 and 3, arginase II and COX-1 expressions. In addition, protein kinase C is involved in the up-regulation of NOS2 and arginase II enzymes induced by carbachol via NF-κB. In conclusion, the activation of cholinergic receptors in SCA-9 tumor cells promotes proliferation via muscarinic effector enzymes, and reveals the participation of NF-κB at this step of tumorigenesis.
European journal of pharmacology 03/2012; 683(1-3):43-53. · 2.59 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Dendritic cells (DCs) are highly specialized antigen-presenting cells with a unique ability to activate resting T lymphocytes. Acetylcholine (ACh) is the primary parasympathetic neurotransmitter and also a non-neural paracrine factor produced by different cells. Here, we analyzed the expression of the cholinergic system in DCs. We found that DCs express the muscarinic receptors M(3), M(4) and M(5), as well as the enzymes responsible for the synthesis and degradation of ACh, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE), respectively. Differentiation of DCs in the presence of the cholinergic agonist carbachol, the synthetic analog of ACh, resulted in an increased expression of HLA-DR and CD86 and the stimulation of TNF-α and IL-8 production. All these effects were prevented by atropine, a muscarinic ACh receptor (mAChR) antagonist. Carbachol, was also able to modulate the function of DCs when added after the differentiation is accomplished; it increased the expression of HLA-DR, improved the T cell priming ability of DCs, and stimulated the production of TNF-α but not IL-12 or IL-10. By contrast, carbachol significantly inhibited the stimulation of HLA-DR expression and the enhancement in the T cell priming ability of DCs triggered by LPS. Interestingly, the TNF-α antagonist etanercept completely prevented the increased expression of HLA-DR induced by carbachol, suggesting that it promotes the phenotypic maturation of DCs by stimulating the production of TNF-α. ACh induced similar effects than carbachol; it stimulated the expression of HLA-DR and the production of TNF-α, while inhibiting the stimulation of HLA-DR expression and IL-12 production triggered by LPS. Similarly, neostigmine, an inhibitor of AChE, also stimulated the expression of HLA-DR and the production of TNF-α by DCs while inhibiting the production of TNF-α and IL-12 triggered by LPS. These results support the existence of an autocrine/paracrine loop through which ACh modulates the function of DCs.
Journal of neuroimmunology 06/2011; 236(1-2):47-56. · 2.84 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChR) are members of the G-protein coupled receptor family. These receptors play key physiological roles and changes in their expression and/or function are involved in several diseases. We had previously demonstrated that mAChR expression is up regulated in three different cell lines derived from distinct murine mammary adenocarcinomas that spontaneously arose in BALB/c female mice, in comparison with normal murine mammary cells. Stimulation of mAChR with the muscarinic agonist carbachol (CARB) potentiated different steps of tumor progression. We here evidence that similarly to previous results obtained in mice, human breast tumor homogenates over expressed mAChR in comparison with normal breast tissue. Thus, to test the muscarinic actions on human breast adenocarcinoma cells we investigate the effect of CARB on MCF-7 cells proliferation and neovascular response. Particularly we observe that: CARB stimulates tumor cells proliferation, being 10(-9) M the maximal effective dose for the muscarinic agonist. This action was due to M3 and M1 receptors activation being nitric oxide synthase (NOS) its effector enzyme via phospholipase C and protein kinase C signaling pathway. NOS1 and NOS3 isoforms are expressed in MCF-7 cells and its activation by CARB triggers nitric oxide synthesis and vascular endothelial growth factor expression increasing blood vessels formation induced by mammary tumor cells in vivo. We can conclude that nonneuronal cholinergic system activation stimulates MCF-7 tumor cells growth and neovascular response promoting tumor progression.
Cancer biology & therapy 05/2007; 6(7):1106-13. · 2.64 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The ability of tumor cells to stimulate adaptive immunity, particularly by inducing anti-tumor antibodies (Abs), has been extensively reviewed. LM3 is a tumorigenic cell line derived from a murine mammary metastatic adenocarcinoma that spontaneously overexpressed mAchR. Here we investigate the ability of Abs purified from the sera of LM3 tumor-bearing mice, directed against muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAchR) to modulate tumor cells' proliferation and angiogenesis. We observed that IgG from early tumor bearers (ETB), 14-day LM3 tumor, and from late tumor bearers (LTB), 28-day LM3 tumor, displaced tritiated quinuclidinyl benzilate binding to LM3 tumor cells, confirming Abs interaction with cholinoceptors, while IgG from normal mice did not modify the antagonist binding to mAchR at any concentration tested. In addition, Abs from ETB and LTB immunoblotted a protein of 70 kDa on murine tumor cells and on heart homogenates that was also recognized by a specific anti-M(2) receptor monoclonal antibody. We also observed that IgG purified from ETB-stimulated LM3 cells' proliferation in a more effective manner than the muscarinic agonist carbachol (CARB) did. IgG from LTB-potentiated LM3 cells induced angiogenesis by increasing the number of blood vessels and VEGF-A production in peritumoral skin "via" mAchR, in an agonist similar manner. All effects were blocked by preincubating cells with the non-selective antagonist atropine. In conclusion, autoAbs purified from LM3 tumor-bearing mice sera exert different pro-tumor actions depending on the stage of tumor development: in ETB, they stimulate tumor cells' proliferation, while in LTB they potentiate tumor neovascularization.
International Immunopharmacology 09/2006; 6(8):1323-30. · 2.38 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Neoangiogenesis is essential for tumor and metastasis growth, but this complex process does not follow the same activation pathway, at least in tumor cell lines originated from different murine mammary adenocarcinomas. LMM3 cells were the most potent to stimulate new blood vessel formation. This response was significantly reduced by preincubating cells with indomethacin and NS-398, non-selective cyclooxygenase (COX) and COX-2 selective inhibitors, respectively. COX-1 and COX-2 isoenzymes were both highly expressed in LMM3 cells, and we observed that indomethacin was more effective than NS-398 to inhibit prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthesis. In addition, nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors, Nomega monomethyl L-arginine and aminoguanidine, also reduced LMM3-induced angiogenesis and nitric oxide (NO) synthesis as well. NOS2 > NOS3 proteins and arginase II isoform were detected in LMM3 cells by Western blot. The latter enzyme was also involved in the LMM3 neovascular response, since the arginase inhibitor, Nomega hydroxy L-arginine reduced the angiogenic cascade. On the other hand, parental LM3 cells were able to stimulate neovascularization via COX-1 and arginase products since only indomethacin and Nomega hydroxy L-arginine, which diminished PGE2 and urea synthesis, respectively, also reduced angiogenesis. In turn, LM2 cells angiogenic response could be due in fact to PGE2-induced VEGF liberation that stimulated neoangiogenesis at very low levels of NO.
Angiogenesis 01/2004; 7(1):45-51. · 6.06 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Investigations on the influence of the parasympathetic nervous system via muscarinic signaling in tumor progression have produced contradictory evidence. We investigated the expression of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAchR) and their intracellular transduction pathways, in two murine mammary adenocarcinoma cell lines, LM3 and LM2 in comparison with the normal murine mammary epithelial cell line: NMuMG. Saturation binding assays with the tritiated muscarinic antagonist quinuclidinyl benzilate ([3H]-QNB) indicate that LM3 cells express higher amounts of mAchR than LM2 cells. Muscarinic receptor activation with carbachol (CARB) enhanced basal production of citrulline to a greater extent in LM3 cells than in LM2 cells. The nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, NGmono-methyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA), blunted this effect only in LM3 cells while in LM2 cells the action of CARB was blocked by Nomega hydroxy-L-arginine (L-OH-Arg), which is known to inhibit the arginase pathway. Atropine blocks the action of CARB in both cell lines. Additionally, mAchR activation stimulates prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthesis only in LM2 cells. NMuMG cells show detectable basal amounts of nitric oxide and PGE2, but they did not respond to CARB. Binding experiments confirm the absence of mAchR in these cells. The findings indicate that mAchR expression in tumor cells, and its control on arginine metabolism, via NOS/arginase, and on PGE2 synthesis by COX activation, could be a switch on mechanism that might lead mammary cells from normal to malignant phenotype. Moreover, mAchR coupling to distinct effectors might be associated with differences in aggressiveness of tumor cells.
International Journal of Molecular Medicine 07/2002; 9(6):651-7. · 1.98 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Regional lymph nodes are important in the generation of tumor-directed immune responses. The relationship between nitric oxide synthase (NOS) expression and the biological behavior of tumor-draining lymph node (TDLNs) cells in vivo was determined using a spontaneously arising BALB/c mammary adenocarcinoma S13. We first demonstrated a reduction of tumor size and tumor-induced angiogenesis by blocking NOS activity in vivo. TDLNs harvested from tumor-bearing mice (TBM) on day 16 after tumor implant, showed enhanced NOS activity and NOS expression compared to control nodes. Identification of the NOS isoforms present in TDLNs resulted in expression of neuronal NOS (nNOS), endothelial NOS (eNOS) and absence of inducible NOS (iNOS). TDLN cells admixed with tumor cells and inoculated into normal mice (Winn assay) induced a reduction of tumor growth although, when inoculated alone, were able to induce the formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis). Our data indicate that the in vivo antitumor activity of TDLN cells is modulated by a balance between angiogenesis and antitumor effectors. In our model, when trafficking of leukocytes is obviated, the control of tumor growth by TDLN cells can be explained in part by an antitumor activity great enough to exceed the angiogenic component elicited by the same cells, leading to a reduction of tumor size.
International Journal of Oncology 02/2002; 20(1):59-67. · 2.40 Impact Factor
