Abstract
Beta-thymosins are polypeptides involved in the regulation of actin polymerization and thymosin β10 and β4 have been implicated in sequestration of monomeric (G-) actin. Additionally, experimental overexpression of thymosin β10 has been found to result in increases in F-actin bundles as well as in cell motility and spreading. We have studied the distribution of endogenously expressed thymosin β10 in cultured human breast cancer cell lines. Both unperturbed monolayer cultures and wound-healing models were examined using double-staining for thymosin β10 and polymerized (F-) actin. Our findings show that thymosin β10 is expressed in all three-cancer cell lines (SK-BR-3, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) studied. No or little staining was detected in confluent cells, whereas strong staining occurred in semiconfluent cells and in cells populating monolayer wounds. Importantly, the distribution of staining for thymosin β10 was inverse of staining for F-actin. These data support a physiological role for thymosin β10 in sequestration of G-actin as well as in cancer cell motility.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ballweber E, Hannappel E, Huff T, Stephan H, Haener M, Taschner N, Stoffler D, Aebi U, Mannherz HG (2002) Polymerization of chemically cross-linked actin:thymosin beta(4) complex to filamentous actin: alterations in helical parameters and visualization of thymosin beta(4) binding on F-actin. J Mol Biol 315:613–625
Bao L, Loda M, Janmey PA, Stewart R, Anand-apte B, Zetter BR (1996) Thymosin beta 15: a novel regulator of tumor cell motility upregulated in metastatic prostate cancer. Nat Med 2:1322–1328
Bao L, Loda M, Zetter BR (1998) Thymosin beta15 expression in tumor cell lines with varying metastatic potential. Clin Exp Med 16:227–233
Bock-Marquette I, Saxena A, White MD, DiMaio JM, Srivasta D (2004) Thymosin beta 4 activates integrin-linked kinase and promotes cardiac cell migration, survival and cardiac repair. Nature 432:466–472
Cha HJ, Jeong MJ, Kleinman HK (2003) Role of thymosin beta4 in tumor metastasis and angiogenesis. J Natl Cancer Inst 95:1674–1680
Clark EA, Golub TR, Lander ES, Hynes RO (2000) Genomic analysis of metastasis reveals an essential role for RhoC. Nature 406:532–535
Golla R, Philp N, Safer D, Chintapalli J, Hoffman R, Collins L, Nachmias V (1997) Co-ordinate regulation of the cytoskeleton in 3T3 cells overexpressing thymosin-beta-4. Cell Motil Cytoskeleton 38:187–200
Huff T, Müller CSG, Otto AM, Netzker R, Hannappel E (2001) Beta-thymosins, small acidic peptides with multiple functions. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 33:205–220
Huff T, Rosarius O, Otto AM, Muller CSG, Ballweber E, Hannappel E, Mannherz HG (2004) Nuclear localization of the G-actin sequestering peptide thymosin beta4. J Cell Sci 117:533–5343
Klein JJ, Goldstein AL, White A (1965) Enhancement of in vivo incorporation of labeled precursors into DNA and protein of mouse lymph nodes after administration of thymic extracts. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 53:812–817
Koutrafouri V, Leondiadis L, Avgoustakis K, Livaniou E, Czarnecki J, Ithakissios DS, Evangelatos GP (2001) Effect of thymosin peptides on the chick chorioallantoic membrane angiogenesis model. Biochim Biophys Acta 1568:60–66
Larsson LI (1988) Immunocytochemistry. Theory and practice. CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL
Larsson LI (2004) Novel actions of tyrphostin AG 879: Inhibition of RAF-1 and HER-2 expression combined with strong antitumor effects on breast cancer cells. Cell Mol Life Sci 61:2624–2631
Low TL, Thurmann GB, McAdoo M, McClure J, Rossio JL, Naylor PH, Goldstein AL (1979) The chemistry and biology of thymosin. J Biol Chem 254:981–986
Low TL, Hu SK, Goldstein AL (1981) Complete amino acid sequence of bovine thymosin beta 4: a thymic hormone that induces terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase activity in thymocyte populations. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 78:1162–1166
Malinda KM, Sidhu GS, Mani H, Banaudha K, Maheshwari RK, Goldstein AL, Kleinman HK (1999) Thymosin beta4 accelerates wound healing. J Invest Dermatol 113:364–368
Otto AM, Müller CSG, Huff T, Hannappel E (2002) Chemotherapeutic drugs change vactin skeleton organization and the expression of beta-thymosins in human breast cancer cells. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 128:247–256
Mortensen K, Skouv J, Hougaard DM, Larsson LI (1999) Endogenous endothelial cell nitric oxide synthase modulates apoptosis in cultured breast cancer cells and is transcriptionally regulated by p53. J Biol Chem 274:37679–37684
Philp D, Badamchian M, Scheremeta B, Nguyen M, Goldstein AL, Kleinman HK (2003) Thymosin beta4 and a synthetic peptide containing its actin-binding domain promote dermal wound repair in db/db diabetic mice and in aged mice Wound Repair Regen 11:19–24
Safer D, Elzinga M, Nachmias VT (1991) Thymosin beta4 and Fx, an actin-sequestering peptide are indistinguishable. J Biol Chem 266:4029–4032
Sanders MC, Goldstein AL, Wang YL (1992) Thymosin beta 4 (Fx peptide) is a potent regulator of actin polymerization in living cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 89: 4678–4682
Sanger JM, Golla R, Safer D, Choi Jk, Yu KR, Sanger JW, Nachmias VT (1995) Increasing intracellular concentrations of thymosin beta4 in PtK2 cells: effects on stress fibers, cytokinesis and cell spreading. Cell Motil Cytoskeleton 31:307–322
Small JV, Rottner K, Hahne P, Anderson KI (1999) Visualising the actin cytoskeleton. Microsc Res Tech 47:3–17
Sosne G, Chan CC, Thai K, Kennedy M, Szliter EA, Hazlett LD, Kleinman HK (2001) Thymosin beta4 promotes corneal wound healing and modulates inflammatory mediators in vivo. Exp Eye Res 72:605–608
Sosne G, Szliter EA, Barrett R, Kernacki KA, Kleinman H, Hazlett LD (2002) Thymosin beta 4 promotes corneal wound healing and decreases inflammation in vivo following alkali injury. Exp Eye Res 74:293–299
Sun HQ, Kwiatkowska K, Yin HL (1996) Beta-thymosins are not simple actin monomer buffering proteins. Insight fromoverexpression studies. J Biol Chem 271:9223–9230
Yamamoto T, Gotoh M, Kitajima M, Hirohashi S (1993) Thymosin beta-4 expression is correlated with metastatic capacity of colorectal carcinomas. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 193:706–710
Yarden Y, Sliwkowski MX (2001) Untangling the ErbB signalling network. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2:127–137
Yu FX, Lin SC, Morrison Bogorad M, Yin HL (1994) Effects of thymosin beta4 and thymosin beta10 on actin structures in living cells. Cell Motil Cytoskeleton 27:13–25
Acknowledgment
Grant support was from the Danish MRC, the Lundbeck foundation and the Danish Cancer Society
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mælan, A.E., Rasmussen, T.K. & Larsson, LI. Localization of thymosin β10 in breast cancer cells: relationship to actin cytoskeletal remodeling and cell motility. Histochem Cell Biol 127, 109–113 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-006-0208-z
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-006-0208-z