TGF beta regulation of epithelial cell proliferation: role of tumor suppressor genes.

Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF beta 1) is the prototype of a large family of polypeptides involved in growth control, extracellular matrix production, and development. The TGF beta s have marked stimulatory effects on connective tissue formation. They are chemotactic for fibroblasts, indirect mitogens for certain mesenchymal cells and stimulators of extracellular matrix deposition. The TGF beta s are also potent inhibitors of proliferation of most cell types in culture, and in vivo studies have indicated that the predominant effect of TGF beta 1 on cell proliferation is inhibition. We have investigated the mechanism of TGF beta 1 inhibition of skin keratinocyte growth. Earlier studies demonstrated that TGF beta 1 inhibition of keratinocyte proliferation involves suppression of c-myc transcription, and indirect evidence suggested that the product of the retinoblastoma tumor susceptibility gene, pRB, may be involved in this process. More recently, we have shown that transient expression of pRB in skin keratinocytes can repress human c-myc promoter/CAT transcription as effectively as TGF beta 1. The same c-myc promoter region, termed the TGF beta control element (TCE), was required for regulation by both TGF beta 1 and pRB. Oligonucleotides containing the TCE bound to several nuclear factors in mobility shift assays and a cellular protein of approximately 106 kD in Southwestern assays. Binding of these factors could be demonstrated in cells with or without normal pRB, and the binding of some factors was rapidly inhibited by TGF beta 1 treatment of TGF beta-sensitive but not TGF beta-insensitive cells. These data indicate that pRB can function to inhibit c-myc transcription and suggest the involvement of cellular factor(s) in addition to pRB in the TGF beta 1 pathway for suppression of c-myc transcription. Studies with other cell types have shown that another tumor suppressor gene, p53, can also regulate transcription of c-myc in transient assays. Whereas wild type p53 markedly suppressed transcription, four different mutant p53 clones caused transactivation. The data support the hypothesis that pRB and p53 can both cause growth inhibition by blocking the expression of the protooncogene, c-myc, and indicate that tumor suppressor genes may function in the response pathway for diffusible negative growth regulators such as TGF beta.