EXPRESSION OF ANTISENSE EPIDERMAL GROWTH-FACTOR RECEPTOR RNA DOWN-MODULATES THE MALIGNANT BEHAVIOR OF HUMAN COLON-CANCER CELLS

Human colon cancer (Moser) cells produce and secrete epidermal growth factor (EGF) and respond to EGF via an autocrine/paracrine mode throug h the cell surface EGF receptor (EGFR). In this report we show that EG F promotes the malignant behavior of the Moser cells in vitro in terms of growth in soft agarose and invasion of Matrigel-coated porous memb ranes. Expressing antisense EGFR RNA in the Moser cells (through trans fection with an inducible antisense EGFR expression vector) downmodula ted the expression of cell surface EGFR and EGFR mRNA with a concurren t inhibition of growth in soft agarose and invasion of Matrigel-coated membranes. In addition, the ability of exogenously applied EGF in pro moting the malignant behavior of these cells was circumvented. We conc lude that antisense EGFR RNA was a potent agent in circumventing the i n vitro malignant properties of the Moser cells.