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Induction of Cell Death by Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor in Ewing’s Sarcoma¹

Candlelighter’s Children’s Cancer Research Laboratory [L-M. S., G. W., S. A. B.], Imperial Cancer Research Fund Cancer Medicine Research Unit [P. J. S.], and Department of Pediatric Oncology [I. J. L.], St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds LS9 7TF, United Kingdom

Ewing’s sarcoma is thought to arise after developmental arrest of primitive neural cells during embryogenesis. Because basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) has a critical role in the regulation of cell survival, proliferation, and differentiation during embryogenesis, we have tested the hypothesis that bFGF and FGF receptors may contribute to the development of Ewing’s sarcoma and may provide a mechanism for the modulation of their behavior. All four of the Ewing’s sarcoma cell lines examined expressed bFGF and FGF receptors, which were detected by immunofluorescence and Western blotting. bFGF-induced a significant dose-dependent decrease in Ewing’s sarcoma cell proliferation on plastic and reduced anchorage-independent growth in soft agar. Unexpectedly, this decrease in cell number reflected bFGF-induced apoptosis and necrosis, as demonstrated by electron microscopy, binding of annexin V, and staining with acridine orange. Induction of cell death was dependent on dosage of, and period of exposure to, bFGF. bFGF did not induce differentiation of Ewing’s sarcoma cells in either the presence or the absence of serum or nerve growth factor. Treatment of NuNu mice with bFGF decreased growth of the highly tumorigenic Ewing’s sarcoma cell lines. Histologically tumors grown in the NuNu mice treated with bFGF were less cellular than those in control mice, and showed an increased level of apoptotic nuclei. This is in contrast to the mitogenic effect bFGF has in most other cancer cells. In summary, bFGF decreases Ewing’s sarcoma growth in vitro and in vivo by the induction of cell death. This novel observation may provide a new therapeutic strategy for Ewing’s sarcomas.

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