INDUCTION OF MOUSE TENASCIN EXPRESSION BY A HUMAN SARCOMATOID WILMS-TUMOR CELL-LINE GROWING IN NUDE-MICE

A new cell line from a sporadic Wilms' tumor was established and exten sively characterized. In nude mice, the tumor cells rapidly formed tum ors which, in histological characteristics and extracellular-matrix (E CM) composition resembled sarcomatoid Wilms' tumor. The tumor cells pr oduced B chains of laminin, but no A chain, and laminin was deposited into the ECM in a punctate pattern typical of sarcomatoid tumors. Stro ng expression of tenascin was detected within the stromal ECM of the t umors. Species-specific antibodies reacting either with human or with mouse tenascin showed that tenascin was exclusively derived from mouse host cells. The human Wilms' cell line thus induced a strong stromal response with increased deposition of tenascin. The cell line may be u seful for studying the behavior of sarcomatoid Wilms' tumor cells and for identifying factors that stimulate synthesis of tenascin. (C) 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.