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. 1993 Apr;67(4):674–679. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1993.125

Uncoupling of growth inhibition and differentiation in dexamethasone-treated human rhabdomyosarcoma cells.

C De Giovanni 1, P L Lollini 1, R Dolcetti 1, L Landuzzi 1, G Nicoletti 1, E D'Andrea 1, K Scotland 1, P Nanni 1
PMCID: PMC1968339  PMID: 8471424

Abstract

The effects of dexamethasone, a synthetic glucocorticoid, and of N,N-dimethylformamide on in vitro growth and differentiation and on proto-oncogene expression of human rhabdomyosarcoma cells were studied. RD/18 clone cells (derived from the embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma cell line RD) treated with 100 nM dexamethasone showed an almost complete block of differentiation: about 5% myosin-positive cells were observed after 2 weeks of culture in dexamethasone-supplemented differentiation medium, compared to 20% of untreated cultures. Dexamethasone also induced a 20-30% growth inhibition and a more flattened morphology. The treatment with N,N-dimethylformamide induced a significantly increased proportion of myosin-positive cells (reaching about 30%) and a 40% growth inhibition. Induction of differentiation inversely correlated with the levels of c-myc proto-oncogene expression: after a 2 week culture dexamethasone-treated cells showed the highest c-myc expression and N,N-dimethylformamide-treated cells the lowest. Culture conditions per se down-modulated c-erbB1 and up-regulated c-jun expression, with no relationship to the differentiation pattern. Other proto-oncogenes were not expressed (c-sis, N-myc, c-mos, c-myb) or were not modulated (c-fos, c-raf). Therefore dexamethasone and N,N-dimethylformamide, both causing a decreased growth rate, showed opposing actions on myogenic differentiation and on c-myc proto-oncogene expression of human rhabdomyosarcoma cells.

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Selected References

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