Altered growth factor dependence and transforming growth factor gene expression in transformed rat tracheal epithelial cells.

The role of peptide growth factors in neoplastic progression of transformed rat tracheal epithelial (RTE) cells was assessed by examining growth factor requirements and expression of growth factor and growth factor receptor genes in normal and transformed RTE cells. Neoplastically transformed cell lines showed decreased requirements for bovine pituitary extract, insulin, and epidermal growth factor compared to normal primary RTE cells. Neoplastic RTE cell lines expressed significantly increased levels of transforming growth factor alpha (TGF alpha) RNA and secreted TGF alpha into the media, suggesting an autocrine role for this growth factor. Increased levels of TGF alpha RNA were also observed in the preneoplastic stages of the same cell lines, indicating that increased TGF alpha expression is an early event in the multistage process of neoplastic transformation of RTE cells. TGF beta transcripts were also overexpressed in neoplastically transformed cell lines. Our studies suggest that aberrant expression of growth factors may play an important role in the development and/or maintenance of the transformed phenotype in RTE cells.