Correlation between suppression of c-myc and antiproliferative effect of transforming growth factor-beta 1 in thyroid carcinoma cell growth.

The growth regulatory activity of transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF beta 1) was studied in a clonal strain of thyroid papillary carcinoma cell (NPA). Despite the presence of TGF beta 1 and its receptor messenger RNA in thyroid carcinoma, the molecular mechanism of TGF beta 1 action on cell growth of thyroid carcinoma has not yet been elucidated. Exogenously added TGF beta 1 inhibited DNA synthesis and cell growth in a dose- and time-dependent manner at concentrations of 0.1-10 ng/ml. TGF beta 1 inhibited not only basal but also fetal bovine serum-stimulated cell proliferation. Steady state levels of c-myc messenger RNA transcripts were inhibited by TGF beta 1 after 0.5-h treatment. Antisense, but not sense, c-myc oligodeoxynucleotides also caused suppression of NPA cell growth in a dose-responsive manner. Transfection studies of the 5'-up-stream flanking region (UFR) of c-myc/chloramphenicol acetyltransferase chimera genes suggest the presence of a TGF beta 1-responsive DNA element in the 2.3-kilobase c-myc 5'-UFR. Deletion mutant studies indicate the element lies between -106 to 70 relative to the P1 transcription start site. Studies with the gel mobility shift assay using 23-basepair double strand DNA showed the presence of at least two nuclear factors in NPA cell. TGF beta 1 treatment did not cause any alteration in TGF beta 1-induced mobility; however, the reduction of a positive band was selectively observed during 30 min to 2 h after treatment with TGF beta 1. In contrast, the position and intensity of another band were not altered by TGF beta 1 treatment. These results demonstrate that the inhibition of a nuclear factor binding to the c-myc 5'-UFR and subsequent suppression of c-myc gene expression are directly involved in the antiproliferative action of TGF beta 1 in NPA cell growth.