Berit Bølge Tysnes

The current understanding of glioma biology reveals targets for anti-invasive therapy which include manipulations of extracellular matrix and receptors, growth factors and cytokines, proteases, cytoskeletal components, oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. A better understanding of the complex regulation and the signalling molecules involved in glioma invasion is still needed in order to design new and effective treatment modalities towards invasive tumor cells. Representative and valid in vitro experimental systems and animal models of gliomas are necessary for the characterization of the invasive phenotype and further development of anti-invasive therapy. In the future, it will probably be important to move from comparative genomic modelling through protein characterization based on advanced proteomic techniques to analyse tissue samples, where the aim for gliomas should be to compare invaded and non-invaded tissue. This will hopefully render promising new therapeutic targets for gliomas.

Extracellular matrix components are regarded as important substrates for invasive tumor cells. The present work focuses on the expression of laminin in the brain in response to invading brain tumors. Biopsies obtained from tissue macroscopically evaluated as the border zone between tumor and normal brain, in 5 patients undergoing surgery for glioblastoma multiforme, were examined by immunocytochemistry and scanning confocal microscopy for the expression of laminin and glial fibrillary acidic protein. Laminin was mainly found in all the specimens associated with the basal lamina of blood vessels, but a variable degree of punctate laminin deposits were also observed in the parenchyma not associated with blood vessels. In the specimens with substantial deposits, scanning confocal microscopy showed that some of the laminin co‐localized with intracellular glial fibrillary acidic protein.Punctate deposits of laminin were also seen in an intracranial BT4C rat glioma model, where it was particularly abundant in the brain/tumor confrontation zone. Previous in vitro studies have shown that laminin, among several extracellular matrix components, represent a highly permissive substrate for glioma cell migration. The presented results indicate that laminin can be produced by glial fibrillary acidic protein positive cells during glioma cell invasion in humans. This glycoprotein may thus represent one important substrate among many, which contribute to the invasive phenotype of gliomas.

Gliomas exhibit diffuse infiltration into the normal brain parenchyma, and the tumor cells often show morphological features similar to reactive glia cells, making it difficult to discriminate tumor cells from other neural cell populations both in vitro and in vivo. Several methods have therefore been developed in order to observe migrating tumor cells in experimental tumor models. These include labeling of tumor cells with vital dyes as well as by using genetic markers. Despite the fact that these malignancies are highly invasive in the brain, they rarely metastazise out of the central nervous system (CNS). The dissemination of tumor cells is probably mediated both by passive cell displacement and by active cell migration. Tumor cells may be displaced within the brain by the passive flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within the perivascular space and along ventricular linings. Tumor growth and invasion occur in a micromillieu that is regulated both by cancer cells and normal cells. The biological attributes of invasion and cell migration include cell adhesion to extracellular matrix components, cell locomotion, and the ability to create space into which to move. This process is characterized by the degradation and turnover of ECM components, which implies the production of specific proteases and inhibitors. Tumor progression is also influenced by numerous growth factors which may stimulate the malignant cells both by paracrine and autocrine mechanisms. Tumor growth requires the persistent formation of new blood vessels and the induction of angiogenesis is most likely occurring during early stages of tumor development. This process is regulated both by several inducers and inhibitors of endothelial cell proliferation and migration.

To analyse the interactions between glioma cells and extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, the adhesive and migratory capacity of five human glioma cell lines (D37MG, D54MG, GaMG, U118MG and U251MG) were studied. The expression of integrins was analysed and correlated to the adhesive and migratory abilities of the cells. All cell lines were able to adhere to and migrate on the extracellular matrix proteins collagen IV, fibronectin, laminin and vitronectin. Laminin was superior in propagating adhesion and migration in all five cell lines. As analysed by flow cytometry, the expression of the integrin subunits alpha 2, alpha 3, alpha 4, alpha 5, alpha 6, beta 3, beta 4, alpha v, and integrin alpha v beta 5 proved to be uniform between the cell lines. All integrins except alpha 4, alpha 6, beta 3 and beta 4 were expressed on more than 85% of the cells. Inhibition of adhesion with synthetic peptides and antibodies directed against integrins demonstrated that adhesion on laminin was independent of integrins and the 67 kD laminin receptor. On the other hand, migration was shown to be integrin-dependent on all substrates. The results indicate that the mechanism responsible for cell adhesion in human gliomas differ from those present during migration, and that integrins play an important role in regulating these two mechanisms.

Gliomas are characterized by their extensive invasion into the brain parenchyma. Recently it has been shown that normal brain cells can produce laminin, fibronectin and collagen type IV when confronted by invading glioma cells. Laminin stimulates cell migration of several human glioma cell lines in vitro. This migration can be inhibited by adding blocking monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against the most expressed integrin subunits, alpha3 and beta1. Previous studies have shown that glioma cell migration, invasion and growth are stimulated by epidermal growth factor (EGF). However, MAb directed against the EGF receptor (EGFR) did only partly inhibit the invasive process in vitro. Since laminin has regional peptide homology with EGF (EGF-like repeats), the present work was aimed at studying how two human glioma cell lines exposed to antibodies to the EGFR, reacted to laminin stimulated migration. Furthermore, we wanted to study which role the EGFR and the laminin receptor integrin subunits alpha3 and beta1 play during glioma cell invasion. EGFR expression of two glioma cell lines, AN1/lacZ and U-251/lacZ was studied by flow cytometry and immunofluorescence microscopy. A cell migration assay was used to study effects of MAbs against EGFR on migration from laminin-stimulated tumor spheroids. Tumor cell invasion was evaluated by using an in vitro co-culture model, where normal fetal brain cell aggregates were confronted with multicellular tumor spheroids. The results show that both cell lines expressed EGFR, AN1/lacZ 4-fold more than U-251/lacZ. MAb against EGFR inhibited the laminin-stimulated migration only from AN1/lacZ spheroids. MAbs against alpha3 and beta1 integrin subunits inhibited glioma cell invasion in vitro. The present work indicates possible connections between laminin-stimulated cell migration and the EGFR expression on glioma cells. These elements contribute to the characteristic features of glioma cells and may be an important part of the complex relationships between growth factors, integrins and extracellular matrix during glioma cell invasion.