Effects of various tumor promoters on expression of cartilage phenotypes in rabbit costal chondrocytes in culture.

12-O-Tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), a skin tumor-promoting phorbol ester, and teleocidin and aplysiatoxin, which are potent tumor promoters in mouse skin but are chemically unrelated to phorbol esters, induced change of cultured rabbit costal chondrocytes from a polygonal to a fibroblastic shape and inhibited glycosaminoglycan (GAG) synthesis and metachromatic matrix formation in these cells. The potencies of teleocidin and aplysiatoxin to inhibit GAG synthesis were almost the same as that of TPA. On the other hand, Tween 60 and cantharidin, weak mouse skin tumor promoters, phenobarbital, a liver tumor promoter, and saccharin, a bladder tumor promoter, had no effect on the morphology or GAG synthesis of cultured chondrocytes. Like TPA, teleocidin and aplysiatoxin increased DNA and RNA syntheses of chondrocytes. Parathyroid hormone (PTH) and dibutyryl cyclic AMP reversed the morphological and histochemical changes caused by a 4-day treatment with teleocidin or aplysiatoxin as well as with TPA, reversal being apparent after 2 days. PTH increased intracellular cyclic AMP after 2 min in chondrocytes pretreated with teleocidin or aplysiatoxin as well as with TPA. PTH also increased ornithine decarboxylase [ODC; EC 4.1.1.17] activity in these chondrocytes after 4 h. These results show that retention of responsiveness to PTH is a typical characteristic of chondrocytes dedifferentiated by treatment with TPA-type tumor promoters such as TPA, teleocidin and aplysiatoxin. The results also suggest that ODC induction mediated by elevation of cyclic AMP plays an important role in re-differentiation of teleocidin- and aplysiatoxin-treated chondrocytes.