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[Cancer Research 60, 1070-1076, February 15, 2000]
© 2000 American Association for Cancer Research


Molecular Biology and Genetics

Insulin-like Growth Factor II Supply Modifies Growth of Intestinal Adenoma in ApcMin/+ Mice1

A. Bassim Hassan2 and Julie A. Howell

Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, United Kingdom


    ABSTRACT
 Top
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
Insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF-II) is an embryonic growth promoter and cell survival factor. IGF-II supply is normally limited by gene expression because transcription occurs predominantly from the paternal allele in mouse and man (maternal imprinting). Excess IGF-II has detrimental systemic and local effects in vivo, promoting somatic overgrowth and an increased frequency of tumors. IGF2 mRNA is overexpressed in colorectal and many other human cancers. In this paper, we show that altered IGF-II supply modifies intestinal tumor growth. Mice genetically altered in the IGF-II system were combined in crosses with ApcMin/+, a murine model of human familial adenomatous polyposis. Depending on genetic background, ApcMin/+ acquires multiple small intestinal adenoma before becoming moribund with anemia. Mice that express excess IGF-II delivered using a bovine keratin 10 promoter (k10Igf2/+) develop a disproportionate overgrowth of colon, uterus, and skin. Combination with ApcMin/+ leads to a 10-fold increase in the number and the diameter of colon adenoma (P < 0.0001) compared to ApcMin/+ littermate controls (postnatal day 80), an increased susceptibility to rectal prolapse (41%), and a histological progression to carcinoma. Mice with reduced IGF-II supply, secondary to the disruption of the paternal Igf2 allele (Igf2+m/-p), are 60% the weight of wild-type littermates. Combination with ApcMin/+ leads to a 3-fold reduction in small intestinal adenoma number (P < 0.0001) compared to ApcMin/+ littermate controls (postnatal day 150), and a significant decrease in adenoma diameter (P < 0.001). With in situ hybridization, we show that Igf2 was expressed in all adenoma irrespective of IGF-II supply. This suggests that there is an increased maternal allele expression of Igf2 (loss of imprinting) in adenoma which form, despite paternal Igf2 allele disruption. We conclude that IGF-II supply is a modifier of intestinal adenoma growth, and we provide genetic evidence for its functional role in colorectal cancer progression.


    INTRODUCTION
 Top
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
Mouse models of human cancer provide in vivo systems for the identification of polygenic modifiers that may account for the variation in penetrance, rate of tumor progression, and clinical behavior of tumors. For example, our understanding of the genetics of highly penetrant genes such as APC has been complemented by the investigation of murine models, e.g., ApcMin/+, a close genotypic and phenotypic model of human familial adenomatous polyposis. In familial adenomatous polyposis, multiple colonic adenomas are frequent and commonly progress to invasive carcinomas if not treated. The adenomas that develop in the ApcMin/+ mouse can also progress to invasive carcinoma, but the model differs from the human syndrome because multiple adenomas tend to be concentrated in the small intestine, which usually leads to anemia and intestinal obstruction (1) . The number of intestinal adenomas is dependent on the inbred strain, which has been exploited in mapping a major modifier, Mom1 (Pla2g2a) (2 , 3) . Although the relevance of Pla2g2a to human colonic carcinoma progression is still under investigation (4) , its discovery enforces the notion that the identification of genetic modifiers will define the key interactions between biochemical systems that determine tumor progression in vivo. We have taken a complementary approach, which has been to use mice with a genetic alteration of a candidate modifier known to be frequently disrupted in human cancer. In this paper, we show that genetic manipulation of IGF3 -II supply modifies the growth of intestinal adenoma in ApcMin/+.

IGF-II is a paternally expressed, maternally imprinted, embryonic growth factor that is a potent modifier of growth in vivo (5) . In mice, after disruption of the paternal Igf2 allele, total body weight is reduced by 40% at birth (6) . Systemic IGF-II levels fall after birth, and postnatal growth is then regulated by the related ligand, IGF-I (5) . Increased systemic availability of IGF-II, either due to biallelic expression, increased delivery from a transgene, or disruption of the IGF-II/M6P receptor, results in overgrowth phenotypes in mice (7, 8, 9) . Similar effects occur in human overgrowth syndromes such as Beckwith-Wiedemann, where the biallelic expression of IGF2 results from either LOI or unipaternal disomy (10) . Increased expression of IGF-II in transgenic mice not only increases tumor frequency in organs that express the transgene, but also at distant sites, suggesting that both local and systemic supply can promote tumor progression (11 , 12) .

IGF-II is well known for promoting a cell number increase in vitro. The mechanism may predominantly relate to cell survival rather than cell division (13 , 14) . IGF-II and the related ligand, IGF-I, exert cell survival and growth effects via heterotetrameric IGF-I and insulin receptors, which mediate signal transduction through the PI3 kinase/Akt pathway also modified by the recently identified phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN) tumor suppressor (15) . Serial analysis of gene expression has identified IGF-II as the most abundant mRNA overexpressed in human colorectal cell lines and tumors compared to normal tissue (16) . IGF-II is also overexpressed in Wilms tumor, rhabdomyosarcoma, neuroblastoma, germ cell tumors, adrenocortical carcinoma, breast, and hepatocellular carcinoma (reviewed in Ref. 17 ). Furthermore, increased maternal allele expression (allele ratio of <3:1 taken as LOI) has also been detected at surprisingly high frequency in normal human leukocytes and colonic mucosa (12%), particularly in cases with microsatellite instability in associated tumors (91%; Ref. 18 ). This significant finding suggests that increased local IGF-II supply may predispose to the development of early onset colorectal cancer before the appearance of either an adenoma or tumor, especially in individuals with defects in DNA mismatch repair (19) .

We examined the effect of IGF-II supply in crosses between mice with genetically altered IGF-II expression and the ApcMin/+ model of colorectal cancer. Increased IGF-II delivery to the alimentary tract was achieved using a bovine keratin 10 promoter-driven transgene (K10Igf2), which results in the phenotype of colon, skin, and uterine overgrowth (9) . Although the predominant growth effect is in tissues that express the transgene, there are also subtle metabolic effects due to increased circulating IGF-II (20) . Decreased IGF-II supply in the alimentary tract was achieved using mice with a disruption of the paternal allele of Igf2 (Igf2+m/-p) (6) . Except for the leptomeninges of the brain, Igf2 mRNA expression from the maternal allele is normally undetectable in these animals. Therefore, the source of any locally delivered IGF-II to the alimentary tract should be derived from increased maternal allele expression.


    MATERIALS AND METHODS
 Top
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
Mice.
ApcMin/+ (C57Bl/6J) were obtained from the Imperial Cancer Research Fund. SPF colony (gift from W. Bodmer, mice established in 1992 from A. Moser and W. Dove, McArdle laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin; Ref. 21 ) and bred in the host department. Male ApcMin/+ mice were backcrossed to inbred female C57Bl/6J (from Harlan, Bicester, Oxon, United Kingdom) under non-SPF conditions for two generations before commencing experimental crosses. Entamoeba muris was the only intestinal parasite detected in both imported ApcMin/+ and C57BL/6J stock. SPF conditions do not significantly alter adenoma number (22) . Animals were housed with littermates under a 14 h light/10 h dark cycle and were fed normal chow (3% total fat, Special Dietary Services, Witham, Essex, United Kingdom) and tap water ad libitum.

Mice with increased IGF-II supply (K10Igf2) were at >10th generation inbred onto 129/SvJ (9) . Mice with disruption of the paternal allele of Igf2 (-p) but an intact maternal allele (+m, denoted Igf2+m/-p) were a gift from A. Efstratiadis and were also at >10th generation inbred onto the same 129/SvJ (6) . DNA was extracted from tails (day 7) and liver (at the time of dissection). After incubation (12 h; 55°C) with 0.5 µg/ml proteinase K in lysis buffer [50 mM Tris (pH 8.0), 100 mM EDTA, 100 mM NaCl, 1% SDS] and RNase A (1 h; 37°C), DNA was extracted with phenol/chloroform, precipitated with ethanol, and resuspended in TE buffer [10 mM Tris (pH 7.4), 1 mM EDTA]. Animals were genotyped for the presence of ApcMin/+, K10Igf2/+, and Igf2+m/-p by established PCR protocols (2 , 23) . All breeding used male 129/JSv IGF-II mutant mice and female C57Bl/6J ApcMin/+. Female K10Igf2/+ are poor mothers because they develop an imperforate uterus, and the disrupted allele in Igf2+m/-p is paternally inherited. All litters were cross-fostered to F1 mothers before postnatal day 7 (C57Bl/6J,CBA/Ha or C57Bl/6J,129/SvJ). All animal procedures were approved by the Home Office of the United Kingdom government, departmental ethics committee and were carried out in accordance with the United Kingdom Coordinating Committee on Cancer Research guidance for the welfare of animals in experimental neoplasia (second edition; Ref. 23 ).

Adenoma Scoring and Collection.
Depending on age, ApcMin/+ become moribund as a result of chronic anemia and intestinal obstruction. After daily monitoring of initial litters for signs of anemia and distress, the dates of dissection of experimental crosses were refined so that animals did not suffer unduly. Small intestinal adenoma and colonic adenoma were therefore scored for number and diameter either at postnatal day 80 or 150 for the cross between ApcMin/+ x K10Igf2/+ and ApcMin/+ x Igf2+m/-p, respectively. The stomach, small intestine, and colon were dissected free of mesentery and opened along the longitudinal axis using a jig and blade designed by us to aid rapid processing. Intestinal contents were cleared with PBS, and the small intestine was divided into three equal-length segments and laid open with the colon on the absorptive side of Benchkote (Whatman). Intestines were fixed in 4% (4 g/100 ml) paraformaldehyde in PBS (24 h) followed by 70% ethanol (v/v). Using a dissecting microscope (x10–30) and calipers, adenoma number and diameter were obtained for the entire length of the small intestine and colon. Adenoma analysis was performed without knowledge of genotype by one person (A. B. H) and confirmed independently by another (J. A. H.). Material for cryosections was either placed face down relative to the cutting surface for the small intestine or rolled (for the colon), immediately embedded in TissueTek (Sakura Fintek, Zoeterwoude, the Netherlands), and stored at -40°C. Small intestine surface area was calculated by summation of the multiples of length of each fixed segment by width, which was measured at the midpoint of each segment. Colon surface area was calculated by multiplying the length of the fixed material from the anorectal junction to the point of insertion of the small intestine, omitting the appendix, by the width at the midpoint. Statistical analysis is described in figure and table legends. Calculations were performed using the Minitab 10Xtra (Minitab Inc.).

Histopathology.
Distal colon samples and small intestinal segments were paraffin-embedded and sectioned (5 µm), and every fifth section was stained with H&E. Stained sections were viewed without knowledge of genotypes (A. B. H) and checked by an independent histopathologist (D. Rowlands, Department of Histopathology, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom). Sections for immunohistochemistry were cleared with xylene and rehydrated in an ethanol series to PBS, and endogenous peroxidases were quenched with 3% H2O2 in PBS (v/v; 15 min). Sections were incubated at 4°C with primary antibodies in PAT (PBS/0.1% BSA/0.1% Tween 20) for 16 h. The following antibodies were used: antihuman APC (C-20) rabbit polyclonal to the COOH-terminus of human APC (amino acid 2824–2843), antihuman APC (N-15) rabbit polyclonal to the amino terminus of human APC (amino acid 2–16), and IGF-IRß (sc-713) antihuman rabbit polyclonal to a carboxy-terminal peptide, all from Santa-Cruz Biotechnology Inc. (Santa Cruz, CA). Proliferation was assessed with the HsMCM2/BM28 rabbit polyclonal antibody to human MCM2, a cell cycle protein marker specific for G1-S-phase cells, a gift from I. Todorov (24 , 25) . Sections were blocked with 2% (v/v) horse serum in PAT (30 min), incubated with biotinylated antirabbit antibody from horse (Vector Laboratories Inc., Burlinghame, CA), and visualized with a peroxidase ABC Vector Elite kit with 3,3'-diaminobenzidine substrate. Sections were dehydrated, counterstained with methyl-green, washed in acetone plus 1% (v/v) acetic acid, and mounted.

In Situ Hybridization.
DNA containing the distal coding region and 3' untranslated region of Igf2 exon 6 was amplified from a pGEM plasmid containing Igf2 cDNA (derived from a gift from P. Rotwein). Primers BH1, 5'-NNG AGC TCA GCC TCT TCG GAG ATG TC-3' (position 541–558, M14951) and BH2, 5'-NNG GTA CCA ACA GCC TGA TGT GGG GA-3' (position 738–721, M14951) amplified a 198-bp fragment. Sequence analysis confirmed the fragment was mouse Igf2. Engineered SacI and KpnI restriction sites in primers BH1 and BH2, respectively (italicized) were used to clone digested gel-purified product into pBluescript KS-. Linearized plasmid was used to transcribe sense and antisense probe with digoxigenin-UTP (Roche Diagnostics Ltd, Essex, United Kingdom). Ten-µm cryosections were mounted on adhesive-treated slides (3-aminopropyltriethoxy-silane), were dried with a gentle heat from a hair dryer for 2–3 min, and were immediately placed in fresh 4% (w/v) paraformaldehyde/PBS (diethylpyrocarbonate-treated) at 4°C for 20 min. To quench the endogenous alkaline phosphatase, incubation in 2 N HCl for 20 min at 4°C significantly reduced background (26) . Slides were washed once in PBS, passed through a PBS/ethanol dilution series to 100% ethanol, and air dried. Slides were hybridized with 10 ng of denatured probe/section at 25°C for 16 h in filtered hybridization buffer (10%; w/v) dextran sulfate, 2x SSC, 50% (w/v) formamide, 10% (w/v) SDS, 1 mM DTT, 10 µg/ml salmon sperm, 10 µg/ml tRNA, and 20 units of RNase inhibitor (Sigma, United Kingdom). Sections were washed with 1x SSC [150 mM NaCl, 15 mM sodium citrate (pH 7.0)], O.1x SSC/50% (v/v) formamide (2 x 5 min), and incubated with 20 µg/ml RNase A for 30 min at 37°C. Digoxigenin RNA was visualized with an antidigoxigenin-alkaline phosphate Fab fragment (Roche Diagnostics Ltd, Essex, United Kingdom) using nitro-blue tetrazolium chloride and 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indoyl-phosphate staining with 0.5 µg/ml levamisole in buffer [0.1 M Tris-HCl (pH 9.5), 0.1 M NaCl, 50 mM MgCl2] containing 10% (w/v) polyvinyl alcohol (30–70 kDa) for 16 h at 25°C. Sections were counterstained with 0.02% fast green and viewed with a JVC color charge coupled device camera attached to a Leica upright microscope. Control experiments using a sense probe, excess unlabeled antisense probe, predigestion with RNase A, tissue from Igf2+m/-p, and omission of alkaline phosphatase Fab fragment all resulted in a background signal. Sections from an Igf2 transgene-derived mammary tumor acted as a positive control in every experiment.


    RESULTS
 Top
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
Minor Modifier of ApcMin/+ in 129/SvJ.
We first established the total adenoma count in litters from crosses between C57Bl/6J ApcMin/+ and inbred stock 129/SvJ mice (coisogenic). Mean counts revealed a 2-fold reduction in adenoma number at 100 days (14 adenoma; n = 5) compared to C57Bl/6J ApcMin/+ controls (31 adenomal; n = 7), which is consistent with the presence of a suspected semidominant modifier in the 129 strain (27) .

Increased IGF-II Supply Increases Number, Diameter, and Malignant Progression of Colon Adenoma.
The bovine keratin 10 promoter used to deliver Igf2 mRNA (K10Igf2/+) was previously found to target transgene expression to the suprabasal layers of the skin, alimentary canal, and uterus (9 , 28) . To our knowledge, this is the only transgene available that increases IGF-II supply in the colon, although a similar phenotype has recently been described for an actin-IGF-I transgene (29) . Overgrowth of the colon can result in rectal prolapse in K10Igf2/+ mice that are >6 months old, yet no intestinal epithelial tumors have been observed, even in the highest expressing line used ("Blast" line). However, small raised pale polyps in the distal colon can be seen in these animals (average of 3.5 polyps, >2 mm in diameter/mouse colon at postnatal day 80; n = 18). Histological analysis revealed mucosal collections of lymphocytes (not shown). Therefore, all colon polyps were checked by H&E-stained paraffin-embedded sections and cryosections, and only nonlymphoid adenoma counts were reported. Although K10Igf2 transgene expression has not been resolved with respect to the four separate cell types of the crypt (see in situ hybridization), there is evidence for both smooth muscle thickening and increased crypt depth in the colon, indicating overgrowth in both compartments (30) . Apart from systemic delivery from the blood stream, a further source of IGF-II may be release from the stomach into the lumen and distal delivery to the small intestine and colon. Both IGF-I and IGF-II may increase mucosal cell growth after intraluminal supply (31) .

Mice that develop intestinal adenoma and increased IGF-II supply in the colon (ApcMin/+,K10Igf2/+) lose weight (Fig. 1A)Citation , rapidly become anemic, and commonly develop rectal prolapse by 80 days (41%, 7/17 compared to K10Igf2/+ alone 6%, 1/18). To counter the possibility that altered adenoma growth was simply a reflection of an alteration of small intestine and colon growth, we corrected for surface area measured in fixed tissue. Adenoma number and diameter were expressed either without correction (Fig. 2)Citation or with correction for surface area (Table 1)Citation . The number of adenoma increased in the colon (P < 0.0001; Fig. 2Citation ), even when correcting for increased colon growth (P < 0.001; Table 1Citation ). The diameter of the adenoma also increased disproportionately relative to the increased colon growth (Table 2)Citation . Examination of dissected colons revealed large distal adenomas (Fig. 3A)Citation . Histopathological features within each adenoma showed a spectrum of changes, with increased progression to carcinoma in situ and invasion in a significant proportion (Fig. 3BCitation ; Table 3Citation ). Only one polyp-like lesion was seen in the uterus of female ApcMin/+,K10Igf2/+ (n = 7 animals); no mammary, skin, or stomach tumors were observed.



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Fig. 1. Effect of IGF-II supply on whole body weight (g). Male and female mice were weighed at different times after birth until the time of dissection, and results were pooled for each genotype (error bars, ± SEM). A, increased IGF-II supply using K10Igf2/+ transgene combined with ApcMin/+. B, decreased IGF-II supply using Igf2+m/-p combined with ApcMin/+. n = number of mice per genotype.

 


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Fig. 2. Effect of IGF-II supply on number of adenoma. The number of adenoma in the small intestine and colon and the combined total adenoma count per mouse were pooled for each genotype after dissection (day 80 and day 150 for ApcMin/+ x K10Igf2/+ and ApcMin/+ x Igf2+m/-p cross, respectively). Only genotypes that developed adenoma are shown for clarity (i.e., with ApcMin/+). Results are expressed as box plots: box, interquartile range; cross, median; verticle line, 95% confidence interval. n = number of animals. NS, not significant. *, P < 0.05; **, P < 0.01; ***, P < 0.001; ****, P < 0.0001 (Mann-Whitney).

 

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Table 1 The effect of IGF-II supply on intestinal growth and adenoma number

Intestines were dissected free, opened along the longitudinal axis, cleaned in PBS, and fixed (4% paraformaldehyde). Surface area was calculated by multiplying length by width at midpoint of fixed small intestine and colon. Adenoma were visualized by using a dissecting microscope (x10–30). Values are means±SD. Statistical comparison between genotypes with normal and altered IGF-II supply utilized Mann Whitney test.

 

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Table 2 The effect of IGF-II supply on adenoma diameter

Intestines were processed as for Table 1Citation and adenoma visualized with a dissecting microscope (x10–30) and size determined using fine calipers. Genotypes with ApcMin/+ are shown only. Values are means ± SD. Statistical comparison between genotypes with normal and altered IGF-II supply was done with the Mann Whitney test.

 


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Fig. 3. A, dissected, cleared, and fixed colons with genotypes ApcMin/+ (Min/+),k10Igf2/+ (K10Igf2/+) and ApcMin/+,K10Igf2/+ (K10Igf2/Min). Arrow, multiple distal adenoma (all subsequently confirmed by histology). B, H&E-stained section of adenoma from A showing disruption of normal glandular architecture and basement membrane, with early invasion (arrow). Bar (B), 1 mm. Inset, 100 µm.

 

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Table 3 Histological evaluation of colonic adenoma from (ApcMin/+ x K10Igf2/+) cross

 
The majority of small intestinal and colonic adenoma >2 mm showed reduced staining for Apc using a COOH-terminal monoclonal antibody (25/31 adenoma from 13 animals), e.g., Fig. 4DCitation . NH2-terminal APC antibody stained all adenoma. There were no differences in Apc staining related to IGF-II supply. Smaller adenoma tended to retain Apc staining in some cells located within the adenoma rather than on its surface (Fig. 4A)Citation . Proliferation visualized with an anti-MCM2 antibody (BM-28) was confined to adenoma and basal crypts (Fig. 4, B and E)Citation . Again, no differences in ratio of labeled:unlabeled nuclei (proliferation index) in each high power field were detected between adenoma of different genotypes (not shown). The distribution of IGF1Rß was concentrated in the smooth muscle layer, the upper luminal surface of villi, and the upper zone of small intestine and colonic crypts (Fig. 4C)Citation . Large >2-mm colonic adenoma generally appeared to have a ramifying network of staining confined to the stromal cell compartment, rather than staining exclusively confined to adenoma cells (Fig. 4F)Citation . However, although a proportion of adenoma had increased staining (18/31 adenoma from 13 animals), some showed low level staining with anti-IGF1Rß. No differences between genotypes were detected.



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Fig. 4. Analysis of adenoma tissue. A-F, immunohistochemistry of a small intestinal early adenoma (A-C) and colon adenoma (D-F) from ApcMin/+. Apc staining is commonly seen within small adenoma but absent from large adenoma (arrow; D), except cells forming edge of adenoma (arrow head; D). Proliferation occurs in adenoma as assessed by an antibody to human MCM2 (B and E; arrow). Crypt cells also label (arrowhead; B). IGF-IR (anti-IGF1Rß) labeling occurs in crypts, villi, and smooth muscle (arrowhead; F). Labeling also occurs in cells at the edge of adenoma (arrowhead; C) and as a ramifying network within adenoma (arrow; F). G-I, in situ hybridization with the Igf2 antisense probe and sense probe (left lower insets). Adenoma from the small intestine of ApcMin/+ (arrow; G); ApcMin/+,Igf2+m/-p (two adenoma; arrows; H); and ApcMin/+,k10Igf2/+ (large arrow; I) all show a strong signal. Colon crypts, and to a lesser extent, smooth muscle, show a signal in ApcMin/+,k10Igf2/+ (small arrow; I). Bars, 100 µm.

 
Reduced IGF-II Supply Reduces Number and Diameter of Small Intestine Adenoma.
Mice with reduced IGF-II supply (Igf2+m/-p) were 60% of the weight of wild-type littermates throughout postnatal life, as previously described (6 , 32 ; Fig. 1Citation ). There was significant reduction in adenoma number and diameter in ApcMin/+, Igf2+m/-p in the small intestine at 150 days, even allowing for the reduction in small intestinal growth (P < 0.001; Fig. 2Citation ; Tables 1Citation and 2Citation ). The reduction in adenoma size was most pronounced when comparing adenoma with diameter >2 mm, suggesting that reduced IGF-II supply limits early adenoma progression as well as total number (Table 2)Citation . There were too few adenoma in the colon to detect a similar trend. Histological comparison of small intestinal adenoma from ApcMin/+,Igf2+m/-p with ApcMin/+,Igf2+m/+p revealed similar histological features, with no differences independent of adenoma size (not shown).

Igf2 Is Expressed in ApcMin/+ Adenoma, and Maternal Igf2 Allele Is Expressed in ApcMin/+,Igf2+m/-p.
Igf2 in situ hybridization of adult wild-type C57Bl/6J villi, crypts, and smooth muscle layers of small intestine and colon showed only background signal. In situ hybridization in K10Igf2/+ (Blast) revealed Igf2 expression in the upper two thirds of the crypts of the stomach and colon and associated low level signal in smooth muscle layers (Fig. 4I)Citation .4 In situ hybridization in adenoma revealed an increased signal in ApcMin/+,Igf2+m/+p (17/21 small intestinal adenoma from six animals), ApcMin/+, K10Igf2/+ (10/12 colon adenoma from six animals), and ApcMin/+, Igf2+m/-p (9/13 small intestinal adenoma from four animals; Fig. 4Citation , G-I). Signal intensity appeared similar irrespective of genotype in parallel processed slides. We presume that mRNA degradation accounts for the failure to detect signal in all adenoma because frozen section samples kept for longer than 3 months (at -20°C) frequently showed background signal.


    DISCUSSION
 Top
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
Our results demonstrate that intestinal adenoma in ApcMin/+ express IGF-II mRNA and IGF1Rß. Genetic manipulation of IGF-II supply significantly modified adenoma growth in ApcMin/+. Increased IGF-II supply led to a disproportionate increase in adenoma number, suggesting either an increased rate of adenoma initiation or an increased rate of early adenoma progression soon after initiating mutation. The effect was greater in the colon rather than the small intestine, reflecting the distribution of transgene expression used to deliver extra IGF-II (9) . K10Igf2/+ transgene expression is relatively low in the small intestine compared to the colon, and small intestinal adenoma, number, and size were not disproportionately increased in mice with the combined genotype (ApcMin/+,K10Igf2/+). This observation makes it unlikely that systemic IGF-II levels significantly altered adenoma growth. In ApcMin/+,K10Igf2/+ mice, rectal prolapse was prominent. We note that rectal prolapse has also been observed in mice that also develop colorectal cancer due to a homozygous disruption of Smad3 (33) and in clinical cases where rectal prolapse may lead to a 4-fold increased risk of colorectal carcinoma (34) .

Decreased IGF-II supply limited the number of adenoma in the small intestine, again suggesting either a reduced rate of adenoma initiation or a decrease in early adenoma progression. The disruption of the Igf2 paternal allele had a clear effect on the number of large adenoma, suggesting that IGF-II influences the growth of established adenoma. The fact that adenoma appeared in the absence of paternal Igf2 expression may be explained by either the selection for the autocrine expression of Igf2 from the maternal allele or by the expression of an alternative growth factor. It is improbable that adenoma growth will depend on a single growth factor such as IGF-II. However, results from Igf2 in situ hybridization show adenoma-specific Igf2 expression and support selection for increased maternal allele expression. Similar findings have been described by Christofori et al. (35 , 36) in a pancreatic tumor model using SV40 T-antigen expression from a rat insulin promoter (RIP-Tag) and in both TGF{alpha} and SV40 T-antigen-induced hepatocellular carcinoma models (37 , 38) . However, although SV40 T-antigen-induced hepatocellular carcinoma showed reduced tumor size in combination with Igf2+m/-p, increased maternal allele expression was rarely found. Increased IGF-II supply in tumors with intact Igf2 alleles appeared to be due to selection for paternal allele disomy and maternal-specific LOH (38) . Studies of intestinal adenoma growth in mice with homozygous disruption of Igf2 are in progress (ApcMin/+,Igf2-m/-p).

The effects of increased and decreased IGF-II supply support our view that IGF-II supply is a modifier of adenoma number and progression. How IGF-II alters adenoma number is not known, but the mechanisms could include either enhanced survival of cells that have lost the normal Apc allele (ApcMin/-, LOH) or via modification of an increased crypt fission rate detected in the developing intestine of ApcMin/+ (39) . The mitogenic and apoptotic functions of C-MYC, transcriptionally up-regulated as a result of APC dysfunction (40) , often require addition of survival factors, such as IGF-II, particularly in c-myc-induced, p53-dependent, cell death transduced by p19ARF (14 , 41) . Mechanisms of how IGF-II acts as a survival factor include phosphorylation and inactivation of Bad, which normally antagonize Bcl-2 blockage of cytochrome c release (42) . IGF-IR-mediated cell survival functions may also be influenced by systemic levels of the growth hormone-controlled ligand, IGF-I, because an increased frequency of colonic carcinoma can occur in acromegalic patients with excess IGF-I (43) .

Patients with microsatellite instability in colorectal tumors develop LOI of IGF2, which may promote growth of colon tumors. However, it is not known whether LOI in this circumstance has significant functional consequences in terms of increasing the probability of developing early onset colorectal cancer. However, our experiments highlight the potential importance of this observation and of increased local IGF-II expression due to LOI in normal human colonic tissue (18) . It is not known whether increased IGF-II supply in normal colon mucosa predisposes to colonic adenoma without mutation of APC or whether IGF-II supply contributes to the development of polyclonal adenoma via a paracrine/community effect (44) . We found no obvious increase in the proportion of adenoma with normal Apc staining in mice with increased IGF-II supply.

Excess IGF-II expression is not the only perturbation of growth factor pathways in colorectal cancer. Frequent mutations can occur in growth factor receptor genes in human tumor-associated mismatch repair defects, e.g., the TGFß type II receptor (45) and the IGF-II/M6P receptor (46) . In addition to mutation of the type II TGFß receptor, Smad3 and Smad4 transducers of the TGFß pathway are also mutated in human tumors and result in increased malignant progression of intestinal tumors after disruption of murine genes (33 , 47) .

Igf2 expression and subsequent autocrine/paracrine growth effects must offer adenoma cells a selective advantage. Our data provide experimental support for mathematical models concerning natural selection of expanding tumor cell clones expressing autocrine cell survival factors (48) . It is clear that IGF-II supply is tightly regulated in normal tissue, with expression predominantly from one allele during embryonic growth in both the human and mouse (6 , 49) . The addition of a single-expressed Igf2 allele results in overgrowth, and reduced IGF-II supply results in reduced embryonic growth (-40%). We and others have shown that IGF-II is an important regulator of murine tumor growth, both in early adenoma and in the progression to carcinoma (35, 36, 37, 38) . However, this is the first demonstration of the influence of IGF-II supply on intestinal tumor growth in a murine model that closely mimics a human colorectal cancer syndrome and is independent of the SV40 T antigen. We conclude that IGF-II supply is a potent modifier of intestinal tumor growth and that IGF-II may subsequently prove to be an important target for human colorectal cancer therapy.


    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
 
We thank Chris Graham (advice and reading the manuscript), Silvio Zaina (advice), David Rowlands (histopathology), Viv Clarke and Jenny Corrigan (technical assistance), Jane Morrice (plasmids), and Julie Bee (establishing Min mouse).


    FOOTNOTES
 
The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked advertisement in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.

1 Supported by a grant from The Cancer Research Campaign United Kingdom 2390/0101 (to A. B. H.). A. B. H. is a Cancer Research Campaign Senior Clinical Research Fellow. Back

2 To whom requests for reprints should be addressed, at the Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, United Kingdom. Phone: 44-1865-271227; Fax: 44-1865-271228; E-mail: bass.hassan{at}zoo.ox.ac.uk Back

3 The abbreviations used are: IGF, insulin-like growth factor; IGF-IR, insulin-like growth factor-I receptor; LOI, loss of imprinting; SPF, specified pathogen-free; APC, adenomatous polyposis coli; TGF, transforming growth factor. Back

4 Unpublished data. Back

Received 10/21/99. Accepted 12/14/99.


    REFERENCES
 Top
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
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