Inuction of cells with a myoepithelial cell phenotype by treatment with dibutyryl cyclic AMP in human salivary adenocarcinoma cells grown in athymic nude mice

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Abstract
Summary The adenocarcinoma produced by transplantation into nude mice of a neoplastic human salivary intercalated duct cell line was treated with 0.1 ml of minimal essential medium (MEM) containing dibutyryl cyclic AMP (dB-cAMP) at a final concentration of 1 mM daily for 28 days and examined morphologically and immunohistochemically. The dB-cAMP treatment resulted in a marked suppression of tumor growth. In addition, tumor nests with a myoepithelial cell phenotype characterized by the presence of microfilament systems reactive with antimyosin and anti-S-100 protein sera were often observed in the treated tumors, but not in untreated controls. These findings lead us to suggest that neoplastic intercalated duct cells can be induced to differentiate into myoepithelial cells and that levels of cAMP within the cells may regulate this cytodifferentiation.