Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1982. / Typescript. Vita. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Modifications of cellular responses to epidermal growth factor (EGF) induced by tumor promoters and anti-promoters were examined. The effect of the promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) EGF binding was studied using mouse epidermal cells. Initially, TPA decreased EGF binding. However, when cells were incubated continuously in TPA plus a low concentration of EGF, more EGF bound to TPA-treated cells than to control cells. It was shown that the effects of TPA were partially reversible and that the greater amount of EGF bound to TPA-treated cells over controls after long-term incubation was due to larger amounts of whole EGF in the media of TPA-treated cells when cells have regained their ability to bind EGF. The ability of TPA to induce DNA synthesis synergistically with EGF may depend on the transient sparing of EGF from degradation and subsequent binding of the spared EGF. Fluocinolone acetonide (FA) and retinoic acid (RA) are potent anti-promoters able to induce increased EGF binding. The possibility that these compounds exerted their anti-promoting activities through offsetting TPA-induced EGF binding alterations was studied. Rat-1 fibroblasts were used to examine the effect of FA on TPA-mediated changes in EGF binding and EGF-induced ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity and DNA synthesis. Pretreatment with FA caused increased EGF binding and decreased ODC activity and DNA synthesis stimulated by high or low EGF concentrations. The glucocorticoid lowered ODC and DNA synthesis induced by EGF in combination with TPA to levels closer to control (EGF alone) levels. These data indicated that the anti-hyperplasiagenic effect of FA may be partially mediated through the EGF receptor. The effects of RA on EGF binding and EGF-induced cellular responses were examined in Rat-1 and Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts. Pretreatment with RA resulted in increased EGF binding to 3T3 cells only. However, RA treatment was able to enhance ODC activity in both cell lines. Retinoic acid binding protein was detected only in Rat-1 cells. It was therefore unlikely that the effects of RA on ODC induction were mediated by either altered EGF binding or the presence of CRABP. Experiments with 3T3 cells demonstrated that TPA alone was able to induce ODC activity. It is therefore possible that TPA exerts part of its tumor promoting action through the EGF receptor, but other sites of action also contribute to its promoting properties.

The adult prevalence of obesity in the United States exceeds 30% and obesity is associated with increased cancer risk and poor prognosis, including postmenopausal breast cancer. p53 is a tumor suppressor gene that responds to diverse cellular stress including DNA damage, oxidative stress and hypoxia. p53 is mutated in most human cancers, including postmenopausal breast cancer, and is involved in the regulation of lipogenic enzymes. However, the links between p53 and obesity in postmenopausal breast cancer are poorly understood. Here we test the hypothesis that the effect of obesity on mammary tumor growth is impacted by p53 status. The aim of this study was to determine how p53-deficient mammary tumor cells (relative to p53 wild-type cells) respond to obesity-driven tumor growth. To test this hypothesis, we used ovariectomized (OVX) C57BL/6 mice randomized to a control diet (n=40) or a diet-induced obesity (DIO) regimen (n=40) for 10 weeks. At the time, DIO mice were approximately 40% heavier (p<0.001) and had 45% greater adiposity (p<0.001) than control mice. Mice were then injected (in the 4th mammary fat pad) with either p53-deficient (p53+/-) or p53 wild-type (p53+/+) MMTV-Wnt-1 mammary tumor cells. Mice were monitored for tumor growth, killed when moribund, and tumors were collected at study end point. We found an interaction between diet and p53 status, with p53+/+ Wnt-1 tumors grown in DIO mice developing the more aggressive morphology compared to p53+/+ Wnt tumors in control mice while the observation was not seen in p53+/- Wnt tumors. From histopathological analysis we also discovered that the DIO regimen promotes local invasion of mammary tumor cells and alters the morphology of MMTV-Wnt-1 p53+/+ mammary tumors. Specifically, p53+/+ Wnt tumors grown in DIO mice displayed disorganized ductal structures characteristic of p53+/- tumors grown in control mice, and DIO exacerbated this aberrant morphology in p53+/- Wnt tumors. Moreover, immunohistological analyses showed that DIO reduces p53 protein expression while elevating Ki-67 expression only in the p53+/+ Wnt mammary tumors. These results suggest that p53 and DIO have interactive effects on mammary tumor growth, as p53+/+ Wnt tumors growing in DIO mice resulted in higher tumor grade similar to p53+/- Wnt tumors. / text