Comparison of basic fibroblast growth factor levels in clone A human colon cancer cells in vitro with levels in xenografted tumours

Br J Cancer. 1995 Jul;72(1):10-6. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1995.269.

Abstract

We measured levels of basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2) in human colon cancer cells (clone A) in vitro and in xenografted solid tumours using a commercial enzyme-linked immunoassay. In Vitro, levels in unfed plateau phase or exponentially growing cells were low, averaging respectively about 2 and 8 pg 10(-6) cells. However, when solid tumours (average volumes 787 mm3) were cut into halves and either enzymatically disaggregated to obtain a cellular fraction or extracted in toto, levels were much higher. In the cellular fraction, values averaged 110 pg 10(-6) cells, while in whole tumour extracts, average values were 24 pg mg-1 tumour tissue. These results indicate that growth factor levels in solid neoplasms may differ markedly from those predicted from in vitro measurements. We hypothesise that the apparent increase in FGF-2 levels in vivo results primarily from the presence of a significant fraction of host cells (in particular, macrophages, which may contain high levels of FGF-2) within xenografted clone A neoplasms.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • Colonic Neoplasms / chemistry*
  • Colonic Neoplasms / pathology
  • Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / analysis*
  • Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / genetics
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Nude
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Neoplasm Transplantation
  • RNA, Messenger / analysis
  • Transplantation, Heterologous

Substances

  • RNA, Messenger
  • Fibroblast Growth Factor 2