Transforming growth factor β1 increases the expressions of high molecular weight tropomyosin isoforms and vinculin and suppresses the transformed phenotypes in human lung carcinoma cells

Exposure of the human lung carcinoma cell line, A549 cells, to transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) resulted in an alteration in the morphology from epithelial-like to fibroblastic flat cells. Immunofluorescent study revealed that microfilament organization was partially restored in the TGFβ1-treated cells. We also investigated the effects of TGFβ1 on the transformed phenotypes including the anchorage-independent growth and invasive ability of A549 cells and found that the phenotypes were strikingly suppressed in TGFβ1-treated A549 cells. Accompanying these changes, the levels of the expression of high molecular weight tropomyosin (TM) isoforms, especially TM1 and TM2, were significantly increased in the TGFβ1-treated cells. The expression level of vinculin was also increased in these cells. These results suggest that the increased tropomyosin and vinculin syntheses may be involved in the suppression of the transformed phenotypes of A549 cells.