Rheumatoid synovial cell morphologic changes induced by a mononuclear cell factor in culture.

Adherent rheumatoid synovial cells in culture produce large amounts of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and collagenase. When exposed to a monocyte-derived factor, such cells exhibit marked increases in PGE2 and collagenase production. In addition, cellular morphology becomes more stellate. In the presence of this factor, indomethacin inhibits both PGE2 production and the stellate changes, whereas collagenase production usually continues at a high rate. Addition of PGE2 to cultures reproduces the stellate change as does the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) analog 8-bromo-cAMP. Colchicine inhibits morphologic transformation induced by the monocyte-derived factor, whereas cytochalasin B has no effect. It appears that the stellate morphology is dependent upon PGE2-induced cAMP stimulation and is not related to collagenase production per se.