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Proline analogues such as cis-4-hydroxy-L-proline (CHP) and L-azetidine-2-carboxylic acid (A2C) were tested for their antitumor activity in tissue culture and in vivo. In culture, CHP specifically inhibited those tumor cells that synthesized basement-membrane collagen. CHP appeared to selectively inhibit collagen biosynthesis with only a slight effect on protein synthesis. Culturing cells on type IV collagen matrix did not alter the antiproliferative effect of CHP. The inhibition of 450.1 mouse mammary tumor cells was fully reversible when cultures were incubated for 6 or 12 hours with 25 micrograms CHP/ml but was irreversible after 24 hours of exposure. Of the proline analogues tested against 450.1 tumor cells, A2C and CHP were the most potent inhibitors of cell growth. These two compounds were therefore tested in vivo using 3 transplantable tumors, all of which synthesized basement-membrane collagen. CHP and A2C were given twice daily to mice for 7 to 10 days at doses ranging from 50 mg/kg (body wt) to 600 mg/kg (body wt) per injection. Both CHP and A2C were completely inactive against the 450.1 mammary tumor and the EHS sarcoma. Both compounds also caused considerable liver toxicity. Against CD8F1 mammary tumors, treatment with maximum tolerated doses of CHP and A2C resulted in a slight but insignificant inhibition of tumor growth. While our studies confirmed previous findings that CHP specifically inhibited those tumor cells that synthesized basement-membrane collagen, CHP and A2C did not appear to be efficacious antitumor agents.

Alveoli and ducts isolated from virgin rat mammary glands synthesize basement membrane collagen (typeIV) in primary culture. Using purified antibodies to type IV collagen, prominent intracellular and extracellular fluorescence is observed in the epithelium. No fluorescence is observed with antibodies to collagen type I and III. From quantitation of the incorporation of [14c]proline-labeled proteins, 1.5 to 2.5 per cent of the newly synthesized proteins are collagen. Type IV collagen from these cultures was biochemically identified on the basis of (1) the high ratio of labeled 3-hydroxyproline to 4-hydroxyproline (1:10), (2) the gel electrophoretic pattern of the collagenase-sensitive proteins precipitated with 1.7 M NaCl, (3)the failure of the collagen to bind to diethylaminoethyl-cellulose, and(4)the immunologic cross-reactivity with mouse tumor type IV is identical with that of type IV collagen from other sources. When the supportive hormones, insulin, prolactin, hydrocortisone, progesterone, and estradiol are removed from the cultures, there is a 90 per cent reduction in the amount of [3H]proline recovered in collagen synthesis coincides with only a 30 percentdrop in the growht rate and a 20 per cent drop in total protein synthesis of the sells over the 24-hour period without hormones. Pulse-chase experimout hormones. Pulse-chase experiments revealed an enhanced turnover of collagen following hormone withdrawal. This system may be an in vitro model of collagen turnover in mammary gland in involution.

Primary cultures of rat mammary epithelium synthesize the basement membrane components type IV collagen and laminin and utilize these components for attachment and growth. These cells may interact with matrix components via specific cell surface receptors. However, neither laminin nor type IV collagen alone can sustain mammary differentiation or promote culture longevity in vitro. We have developed a system for the culture of mammary cells on matrices derived from rat mammary glands. This complex matrix promotes cell growth, differentiation, and hormonal responsiveness. Although the mechanisms responsible for these effects are still unknown, one possibility is that cell surface matrix receptors interact with cytoskeletal components leading to alterations in cell shape and hormone receptor configurations. The mammary gland provides an excellent model system to study the interaction of extracellular matrix components with soluble signals, e.g. hormones and growth factors, in the control of cell growth and differentiation. The way these components may interact to influence cell behavior is depicted schematically in Fig. 5.

Long-term production of murine hematopoietic cells in vitro is dependent on establishment of a complex microenvironment consisting of a variety of stromal cells and an extensive extracellular matrix which includes collagen, fibronectin, laminin, proteoglycans, and other undefined components adherent to the culture dishes. Cis-4-hydroxyproline (CHP), a relatively specific inhibitor of collagen secretion, was used to examine the role of extracellular collagen deposition in supporting hematopoiesis in long-term C57B1/6J mouse bone marrow cell cultures. Throughout the 10-wk culture period, all culture dishes contained either 0, 10, 25, or 50 micrograms/ml of CHP. All medium and nonadherent cells were removed at weekly intervals and replaced with fresh medium containing the previous concentrations of CHP. Nonadherent cells were assayed weekly for total cells and pluripotent, erythroid, megakaryocytic, and granulocytic-macrophage progenitor cells. Dishes were killed at selected intervals to assess protein and collagen synthesis in the adherent layer. Adherent cell numbers, as judged by microscopic examination and DNA assays, correlated inversely with CHP concentrations used and paralleled degree of collagen synthesis inhibition. The decreased hemopoietic progenitor cell production correlated closely with percent inhibition of collagen synthesis and stromal cellularity. The CHP concentrations tested were not directly toxic to hemopoietic progenitor cells. These studies demonstrate that collagen deposition in the extracellular matrix of murine bone marrow cell cultures is essential to the establishment of a functional stromal microenvironment that is supportive of long-term hematopoiesis.

7,12-Dimethylbenzanthracene-induced rat mammary tumors contain basement membrane collagen in vivo and in vitro in primary culture, as determined by immunofluorescence. The proline analogue dis-hydroxyproline, which selectively blocks collagen accumulation, inhibits tumor cell growth in vitro. In vivo cis-hydroxyproline blocks tumor growth and produces epithelial cell degeneration and tumor necrosis at a non-toxic dose. This compound has no effect on the growth of the mammary carcinoma cell line 64/24, which makes no basement membrane collagen. As we have previously described for the normal proliferating rat mammary gland, basement membrane collagen deposition may be necessary for the growth of some rat mammary tumors.