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. 1988 Feb;8(2):557–563. doi: 10.1128/mcb.8.2.557

The calcium signal for BALB/MK keratinocyte terminal differentiation counteracts epidermal growth factor (EGF) very early in the EGF-induced proliferative pathway.

P P Di Fiore 1, J Falco 1, I Borrello 1, B Weissman 1, S A Aaronson 1
PMCID: PMC363180  PMID: 2451119

Abstract

BALB/MK mouse epidermal keratinocytes require epidermal growth factor (EGF) for proliferation and terminally differentiate in response to high calcium concentrations. We show that EGF is an extremely potent mitogen, causing BALB/MK cultures to enter the cell cycle in a synchronous manner associated with a greater than 100-fold increase in DNA synthesis. Analysis of the expression of proto-oncogenes which have been reported to be activated during the cascade of events following growth factor stimulation of fibroblasts or lymphoid cells revealed a very rapid but transient 100-fold increase in c-fos RNA but little or no effect on the other proto-oncogenes analyzed. Exposure of EGF-synchronized BALB/MK cells to high levels of calcium was associated with a striking decrease in the early burst of c-fos RNA as well as the subsequent peak of cell DNA synthesis. Since the inhibitory effect of high calcium on c-fos RNA expression was measurable within 30 min, our studies imply that the EGF proliferative and calcium differentiation signals must interact very early in the pathway of EGF-induced proliferation. Our results also establish that c-fos RNA modulation is an important early marker of cell proliferation in epithelial as well as mesenchymal cells.

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Selected References

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