Increased expression of nucleoside diphosphate kinase/nm23 and c-Ha-ras mRNA is associated with spontaneous lung metastasis in rat-transplantable osteosarcomas.

The relationship between expression of nucleoside diphosphate kinase (NDP kinase)/nm23, c-Ha-ras, and c-myc genes and metastatic potential was assessed in rat-transplantable osteosarcoma lines, derived from spontaneous and chemical carcinogen (4-hydroxyamino quinoline 1-oxide)-induced osteosarcomas in Fischer 344/NS1c rats. These osteosarcomas possess metastatic potential and highly metastatic lines spontaneous osteosarcoma-selected lung metastatic lesions and 4-hydroxyamino-quinoline 1-oxide-induced osteosarcoma-selected lung metastatic lesions were respectively established by selectively transplanting lung metastatic lesions. Northern blot analysis revealed that the levels of NDP kinase/nm23 and c-Ha-ras gene expression were increased in line with metastatic ability; thus transcript levels were remarkably greater in both spontaneous osteosarcoma-selected lung metastatic lesions and 4-hydroxyamino-quinoline 1-oxide-induced osteosarcoma-selected lung metastatic lesions highly metastatic lines than in their respective low metastatic spontaneous and chemical carcinogen (4-hydroxyamino quinoline 1-oxide)-induced osteosarcoma counterparts. c-myc mRNA expression was observed in all tumor lines, without any correlation with metastatic ability. Southern blot analysis did not show evidence of gross rearrangement or amplification of NDP kinase/nm23, c-Ha-ras, or c-myc genes suggesting regulation of their gene expression at the transcriptional and/or posttranscriptional level. These results indicate that NDP kinase/nm23 and c-Ha-ras might be cooperatively involved in a positive manner in signal transduction processes, especially involving G-protein reactions, responsible for metastasis of rat-transplantable osteosarcomas.