Skip to main content
PMC home page
Japanese Journal of Cancer Research : Gann logoLink to Japanese Journal of Cancer Research : Gann
. 1991 Dec;82(12):1436–1441. doi: 10.1111/j.1349-7006.1991.tb01817.x

Estrogen Receptor Levels and Tumor Growth in a Series of Pituitary Clonal Cell Lines in Rats

Nariaki Fujimoto 1, Hiromitsu Watanabe 1, Akihiro Ito 1, Kinji Inoue 2
PMCID: PMC5918360  PMID: 1778767

Abstract

Four kinds of in vitro clonal pituitary tumor cell lines named MtT/Se, MtT/SM, MtT/S and MtT/ E, each of which shows different sensitivity to estrogen on proliferation, were inoculated into fat pad of ovariectomized rats and estrogen‐loaded ovariectomized rats at 105 and 106 cells/site. They formed tumor with average latency ranging from 30 to 71 in ovariectomized rats and 13 to 63 days in estrogenized rats inoculated with 106 cells. MtT/Se was highly sensitive to estrogen for growth, and MtT/SM also grew well in estrogenized rats. With MtT/S and MtT/E, there was no significant shortening of average tumor latency in estrogenized rats. In vivo, the cytosolic estrogen receptor (ER) levels of MtT/Se, SM, S and E were measured to be 452 ±66, 370 ±115, 260 ±16 and 83 ±8 fmol/ mg protein, respectively. In vitro, however, the lowest ER level was noted in MtT/Se. Histologically, all four tumors grown in rats were composed of homogeneous round cells, and MtT/Se contained particularly large nucleated cells. In MtT/E, the cells appeared to be changing into ftbromatous cells. Three cell lines except MtT/E maintained the function of hormonal secretion in vivo as well as in vitro. Serum GH level was increased in rats with MtT/Se and MtT/S. Increased levels of both prolactin and growth hormone were measured in sera of rats with MtT/SM. Increases of hormones as well as tumor sizes were promoted by the estrogen.

Keywords: Pituitary tumor, Estrogen‐dependent growth, Estrogen receptor

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (456.9 KB).

REFERENCES

  • 1. ) Morel , Y. , Alvaladejo , V. , Bouvier , J. and Andre , J.Inhibition by 17β‐estradiol of the growth of the rat pituitary transplantable tumor MtF4 . Cancer Res. , 42 , 1492 – 1497 ( 1982. ). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 2. ) Lloyd , R. V. , Landefled , T. D. , Maslar , I. and Frohman , L. A.Diethylstilbestrol inhibits tumor growth and prolactin production in rat pituitary tumors . Am. J. Pathol , 118 , 608 – 616 ( 1985. ). [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 3. ) Furth , J. , Clifton , K. H. , Gadsen , E. L. and Buffet , R. F.Dependent and autonomous mammotropic pituitary tumors in rats: their somatotropic features . Cancer Res. , 16 , 608 – 616 ( 1956. ). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 4. ) Ueda , G. , Takizawa , S. , Moy , P. , Marolla , F. and Furth , J , Characterization of four transplantable mammotropic pituitary tumor variants in the rat . Cancer Res. , 28 , 1963 – 1975 ( 1968. ). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 5. ) Lloyd , H. M , Meares , J. D. and Jacobi , J.Effects of the oestrogen and bromocriptine on in vivo secretion and mitosis in prolactin cells . Nature , 255 , 497 – 498 ( 1975. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 6. ) Edwards , D. P. , Adams , D. J. and McGuire , W. L.Estrogen regulation of growth and specific protein synthesis in human breast cancer cells in tissue culture . In “ Hormones and Cancer ,” ed. Leavitt W. W. , pp. 133 – 149 ( 1982. ). Plenum Press; , New York . [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 7. ) Lieberman , M. E. , Maurer , R. A. , Claude , P. , Wiklund , J. , Wertz , N. and Gorski , J.Regulation of pituitary growth and prolactin gene expression by estrogen . In “ Hormones and Cancer ,” ed Leavitt S. W. W. , pp. 151 – 163 ( 1982. ). Plenum Press; , New York . [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 8. ) Monsma , F. J. , Jr. , Katzenellenbogen , B. S. , Miller , M. A. , Ziegler , Y. S. and Katzenellenbogen , J. A.Characterization of the estrogen receptor and its dynamics in MCF‐7 human breast cancer cells using a covalently attaching antiestrogen . Endocrinology , 115 , 143 – 153 ( 1984. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 9. ) Soto , A. and Sonnenschein , C.The role of estrogens on the proliferation of human breast tumor cell (MCF‐7) . J. Steroid Biochem. , 23 , 87 – 94 ( 1985. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 10. ) De Quijada , M. , Tiramermans , H. A. T. and Lamberts , S. W. J.Tamoxifen suppresses both the growth of prolactin secreting tumours and normal prolactin synthesis in the rat . J. Endocrinol , 86 , 109 – 116 ( 1980. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 11. ) Allegra , J. C. and Lippman , M. E.The effects of 17β‐estradiol and tamoxifen on ZR‐75‐1 human breast cancer cell line in defined medium . Eur. J. Cancer , 16 , 1007 – 1015 ( 1980. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 12. ) Nawata , H. , Bronzert , D. and Lippman , M. E.Isolation and characterization of tamoxifen‐resistant cell line derived from MCF‐7 human breast cancer cells . J. Biol Chem. , 256 , 5016 – 5021 ( 1981. ). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 13. ) Nawata , H. , Chong , M. T. , Bronzert , D. and Lippman , M. E.Estradiol‐independent growth of a subline of MCF‐7 human breast cancer cells in culture . J. Biol. Chem. , 256 , 6895 – 6902 ( 1981. ). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 14. ) Bronzert , D. A. , Greene , G. L. and Lippman , M. E.Selection and characterization of a breast cancer cell line resistant to the antiestrogen LY 117018 . Endocrinology , 111 , 1409 – 1417 ( 1985. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 15. ) Inoue , K. , Hattori , M. , Sakai , T. , Inukai , S. , Fujimoto , N. and Ito , A.Establishment of a series of pituitary clonal cell lines differing in morphology, hormone secretion, and response to estrogen . Endocrinology , 126 , 2313 – 2320 ( 1990. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 16. ) Ito , A. , Kawashima , K. , Fujimoto , N. , Watanabe , H. and Naito , M.Inhibition by 2‐bromo‐α‐ergocriptine and tamoxifen of the growth of an estrogen‐dependent transplantable pituitary tumor (MtT/F84) in F344 rats . Cancer Res. , 45 , 6436 – 6441 ( 1985. ). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 17. ) Lavaca , C. and Paigen , K.A simple, rapid and sensitive DNA assay procedure . Anal Biochem. , 102 , 344 – 352 ( 1980. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 18. ) Yamamoto , K. , Aihara , M. and Hayashi , S.Characterization of estrogen receptor in estrogen‐dependent transplant‐able rat pituitary tumor MtT/F84 . EndocrinoL Jpn. , 37 , 451 – 462 ( 1990. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 19. ) Jansen , E. V. , Suzuki , T. , Kawashima , T. , Stumpf , W. E. , Jungblut , P. W , and DeSombre , E.A two‐step mechanism for the interaction fo estradiol with rat uterus . Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA , 59 , 632 – 638 ( 1968. ). [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 20. ) Lamberts , S. W. J. , Nagy , L , Uitterlinden , P. and MacLeod , R. M.The effect of catecholestrogens on the growth of prolactin‐secreting pituitary tumors and normal prolactin synthesis in the rat . Endocrinology , 110 , 1141 – 1146 ( 1982. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 21. ) Lieberman , M. E. , Maurer , R. A. and Gorski , J.Estrogen control of prolactin synthesis in vitro . Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA , 75 , 5946 – 5949 ( 1978. ). [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 22. ) Lloyd , R. V. , Schmidt , K. , Coleman , K. and Wilson , B. S.Prolactin and growth hormone synthesis and thymidine incorporation in dissociated rat pituitary tumor cells (42219) . Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol Med. , 181 , 18 – 23 ( 1986. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Japanese Journal of Cancer Research : Gann are provided here courtesy of Wiley

RESOURCES