Expression of antisense epidermal growth factor receptor RNA downmodulates the malignant behavior of human colon cancer cells.

Human colon cancer (Moser) cells produce and secrete epidermal growth factor (EGF) and respond to EGF via an autocrine/paracrine mode through the cell surface EGF receptor (EGFR). In this report we show that EGF promotes the malignant behavior of the Moser cells in vitro in terms of growth in soft agarose and invasion of Matrigel-coated porous membranes. Expressing antisense EGFR RNA in the Moser cells (through transfection with an inducible antisense EGFR expression vector) downmodulated the expression of cell surface EGFR and EGFR mRNA with a concurrent inhibition of growth in soft agarose and invasion of Matrigel-coated membranes. In addition, the ability of exogenously applied EGF in promoting the malignant behavior of these cells was circumvented. We conclude that antisense EGFR RNA was a potent agent in circumventing the in vitro malignant properties of the Moser cells.