GH3 tumor pituitary cell cytoskeleton and plasma membrane arrangement are determined by extracellular matrix proteins: implications on motility, proliferation and hormone secretion.

The extracellular matrix (ECM) influences different physiological and pathophysiological aspects of the cell. The ECM consists in a complex network of macromolecules with characteristic biochemical properties that allow cells to sense their environments inducing different signals and changing cell behavior. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the participation of different ECM proteins in cell morphology and its implication on motility, proliferation and hormone secretion in GH3 cells, a tumor pituitary cell.

The invasion mode of GH(3) cells is conditioned by collagen subtype, and its efficiency depends on cell-cell adhesion.

The adaptation of GH(3) cells to different microenvironments is a consequence of a partial compromise with the tumor phenotype. A collagen type IV enriched microenvironment favors an invasive phenotype and increases the substrate adhesion capacity, whereas it decreases the phosphorylation of the regulatory myosin light chain and the aggregation capacity. In contrast, the higher internal tension and increased aggregation capacity induced by collagen type I/III are factors that reduce the invasion rate.

Collagen I confers gamma radiation resistance.

The effect of collagen on the response of somatomammotroph tumor cells (GH3) to gamma, radiation therapy was studied in vitro. After incubating confluent GH3 cell monolayers in a serum-free, maintaining medium, either with or without collagen, the monolayers were irradiated with 137Cs, gamma radiation. Collagen reduces cell mortality via ERK1/2 activation, abolishing gamma radiation, cell death, and promotes cell invasion when acting in synergy with collagen and in association with the, MAPK/ERK1/2 signaling pathway activation.

Effect of extracellular matrix on adhesion, viability, actin cytoskeleton and K+ currents of cells expressing human ether à go-go channels.

Ether à go-go (EAG) potassium channels possess oncogenic properties and have gained great interest as research tools for cancer detection and therapy. Besides, EAG electrophysiological properties are regulated through the cell cycle and determined by cytoskeletal interactions. Thus, because of the pivotal role of extracellular matrix (ECM) and cytoskeleton in cancer progression, we studied the effect of ECM components on adhesion, viability, actin organization and EAG currents in wild-type CHO cells (CHO-wt) and cells expressing human EAG channels (CHO-hEAG).