Neural cell surface differentiation antigen gp130(RB13-6) induces fibroblasts and glioma cells to express astroglial proteins and invasive properties

Transient expression of the differentiation and tumor cell surface antigen gp130(RB13-6) characterizes a subset of rat glial progenitor cells suscepti ble to ethylnitrosourea-induced neurooncogenesis, gp130(RB13-6) is as a mem ber of an emerging protein family of ecto-phosphodiesterases/nucleotide pyr ophosphatases that includes PC-1 and the tumor cell motility factor autotax in. We have investigated the potential role of gp130(RB13-6), glial differe ntiation by transfection of three cell lines of different origin that do no t express endogenous gp130(RB13-6) (NIH-3T3 mouse fibroblasts; C6 and BT7Ca rat glioma cells) with the cDNA encoding gp130(RB13-6). The effect of gp13 0(RB13-6) expression was analyzed in terms of overall cell morphology, the expression of glial cell-specific marker proteins, and invasiveness. Transf ectant sublines, consisting of 100% gp130(RB13-6)-positive cells, exhibited an altered, bipolar morphology. Fascicular aggregates of fibroblastoid cel ls subsequently developed into mesh-like patterns. Contrary to the parental NIH-3T3 and BT7Ca cells, the transfectant cells invaded into collagen type I. As shown by immunofluorescence staining of the transfectant sublines as well as of primary cultures composed of gp130(RB13-6)-positive and -negati ve cells, expression of gp130(RB13-6) induced coexpression of proteins typi cal for glial cells and their precursors, i.e., glial fibrillary acidic pro tein, the low affinity nerve growth factor receptor, and the neural protein s Thy-1, Ran-2, and S-100. In accordance with its expression in the immatur e rat nervous system, gp130(RB13-6) may thus have a significant role in the glial differentiation program and its subversion in neurooncogenesis.