A comparison of the effects of tumor promoters 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate and teleocidin on gene expression in human skin cell fibroblasts.

The effects on primary human skin fibroblasts of the structurally unrelated tumor promoters 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) and teleocidin B were compared with those of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and the non-promoting derivative 4-O-methyl TPA (4-O-MeTPA) by means of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Both TPA and teleocidin B caused a marked increase in the synthesis of two polypeptides with molecular weights of 44 kilodaltons (p44) and 55 kilodaltons (p55). P55 was complexed in cell lysates by antiactin antibody and was shown to be a component of the cytoskeleton. P44 migrated very near to actin, but was shown not to be a variant form of actin. No such specific increase in polypeptide synthesis was observed following treatment with either EGF or 4-O-MeTPA, suggesting that the increase in synthesis of p44 and p55 is specific to TPA and teleocidin, both agents with strong promoting activities.