Altered expression of NM23 , a gene associated with low tumor metastatic potential, during adenovirus 2 E1a inhibition of experimental metastasis

NM23 , a novel gene associated with low tumor metastatic potential, has been investigated in an experimental system in which metastasis is inhibited by the transfection of viral and cellular oncogenes. The experimental system utilizes transfection of the Adenovirus 2 E1a gene to inhibit metastasis: rat embryo fibroblasts (REF) transfected with c-Ha-ras were highly metastatic, while REF cotransfected with ras and E1a were virtually nonmetastatic. NM23 RNA levels were higher in three independently ras + E1a -cotransfected, low metastatic REF lines than in three independently ras -transfected, highly metastatic REF lines. Differences in hybridizable NM23 RNA levels between the two groups of transfected cell lines ranged from 2- to 8-fold.