Relaxin enhances S100A4 and promotes growth of human thyroid carcinoma cell xenografts.

Relaxin increases cell motility and in vitro invasiveness in human thyroid carcinoma cells but the underlying molecular mechanisms of this action are largely unknown. In the present study, we show that relaxin transcriptionally upregulates the calcium-binding protein S100A4 (metastasin) and increases the cytosolic 10-kDa monomer and the 20-kDa dimer form of S100A4 in human thyroid carcinoma cells. The relaxin-induced increase in cell motility was blocked completely when S100A4 expression was diminished using an S100A4 small interfering RNA knockdown approach. We have shown previously the expression of the insulin-like family member relaxin in human thyroid carcinoma tissues but not in benign thyroid tissues. Human thyroid carcinoma tissues expressing relaxin also stained positive for S100A4. In nude mouse experiments, human thyroid carcinoma cell transfectants with constitutive expression of relaxin generated large and fast-growing tumors with significantly increased numbers of proliferating cells. We provide evidence in our cell model that the relaxin target protein S100A4 secreted by the thyroid carcinoma transfectants may not only enhance tumor cell motility but also promote xenograft angiogenesis as determined by the higher density of tumor microvessels and the angiogenic potential of S100A4 in in vitro tube formation assays. In conclusion, we have identified S100A4 as a major mediator of the actions of relaxin in thyroid carcinoma cell motility and in vivo thyroid tumor angiogenesis.