Effect of human procathepsin D on proliferation of human cell lines.

We have used human procathepsin D isolated from supernatant of human breast cancer cell line ZR-75-1 to test its mitogenic activity for a broad spectrum of human-derived cell lines. These cell lines included: breast cancer cell lines ZR-75-1, MDA-MB-436, MBA-MD-483 and MDA-MB-231, B lymphoblastoid cell line Raji, the monocytoid cell line U937, T lymphoblastoid cell line 8402, epitheloid carcinoma cell line HELA, hepatocellular carcinoma cell line Hep G2, breast milk epithelial cell line HBL-100 and angiosarcoma cell line HAEND-1. We have tested the level of proliferation of these cell lines depending on the presence of procathepsin D in the medium. In parallel we have also measured the effect of insulin-like growth factor II under the same experimental conditions. We have found a significant difference between the influence of IGF II and that of procathepsin D. While IGF II promoted in practically the same way the proliferation of all cell lines tested, procathepsin D had a very pronounced effect on breast cancer cell lines only. This finding might help to explain some contradictory results of prognostic significance of procathepsin D in human breast cancer.