Relationship between secreted urokinase plasminogen activator activity and metastatic potential in murine B16 cells transfected with human urokinase sense and antisense genes.

Murine melanoma B16-F1 cells of low metastatic potential were transfected with the human gene for the prepro form of urokinase in an SV40 expression vector (plasmid pSV2-uPA), and cells expressing high amounts of the human urokinase gene product were selected for by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay specific for human high molecular weight urokinase. Southern analysis showed one of the cell lines (clone 7) had incorporated 150 copies of the pSV2-uPA plasmid into its genomic DNA. The human urokinase synthesized by the pSV2-uPA-transfected murine B16 cells was found to be glycosylated and did not bind to the murine cell surface urokinase receptor sites. In an in vivo assay that measures metastasis from a primary tumor (spontaneous metastatic assay), clone 7 cells showed an increased ability to metastasize (12 of 12 mice showed metastatic tumors), while control cells showed a lower ability to metastasize (only 2 of 11 mice showed metastatic tumors). In a second in vivo assay, which measures only the steps of the metastatic migration process during which tumor cells extravasate from the blood and then grow into pulmonary tumors (lung colonization assay), a significant multifold increase in the ability to form lung tumors was shown by the high human urokinase-secreting B16-F1 cells. In B16-F10 cells incorporating an antisense sequence to preprourokinase (plasmid pSV1-ASuPA-265) and secreting significantly decreased amounts of murine urokinase, a corresponding significant decrease in lung colonization was observed. These results provide direct experimental support for a role of secreted (non-surface-bound) urokinase in the colonization steps of the metastatic process. Furthermore, the data indicate that the higher lung colonization ability of the B16-F10 line than of the B16-F1 line is primarily based on the quantitative differences in their abilities to produce urokinase.