Fibronectin turnover in human mesangial cell cultures as affected by adriamycin.

Fibronectin (FN) turnover and turnover changes induced by the anticancer drug Adriamycin (ADR) were measured in human mesangial cells (HMC) in vitro. HMC cultures synthesize cellular FN (2.2 +/- 0.3% of total protein synthesis; n = 12) which is secreted and incorporated into a fibrillar extracellular matrix (ECM). A 24 hr incubation of HMC with ADR (0.5-5 micrograms/ml) resulted in an accumulation of FN in the culture medium, with a maximum increase following 5 micrograms/ml (7.3 +/- 2.3 pg/cell vs. controls: 4.4 +/- 1.9 pg/cell; n = 10). Correspondingly, radioactively labeled immunoprecipitable FN was increased in a dosage-dependent manner in the culture medium up to 50% vs. controls. The incorporation of radioactively labeled FN into ECM was significantly increased following 2 micrograms ADR/ml. In accordance, immunofluorescence staining revealed an expansion of pericellular FN fibers in cultures exposed to 2 micrograms ADR/ml. Concomitant with the accumulation of extracellular FN, radioactively labeled FN in the cells was reduced by 22%. Qualitative characterization of FN patterns revealed a diminished number of degradation products in the culture medium of ADR-treated HMC. These data suggest that ADR interferes with the turnover of FN secreted by HMC in vitro in such a way that FN accumulates extracellularly. This in turn leads to a reduced FN synthesis. These findings are compatible with a loss of urinary FN degradation products accompanying the onset of proteinuria in ADR-treated rats.