c-erb B2/neu has been demonstrated to be a transforming oncogene in both rodent and human prostatic epithelial cells. To understand the potential role of neu in human prostatic cancer progression, we used a transfer procedure to determine whether neu amplification/overexpression leads to increased tumor growth and metastasis. We chose an androgen-independent human prostatic epithelial cell line, PC-3, as the target for gene transfer. PC-3 cells were cotransfected with pSVneu-T (a point-mutated rat neu oncogene construct) and pSV2neo, and single-cell cloned. Fifty cell clones were isolated and characterized, of which two neu-transfected clones (N17 and N35) and a neo control clone (C32) were studied extensively with respect to neu gene integration, levels of neu mRNA and protein expression, anchorage-independent growth, and tumorigenic and metastatic potential. Results showed that: 1) Clone N35 contained 70 copies of the neu oncogene and a high level of neu mRNA transcripts. It acquired increased anchorage-independent growth potential in vitro and increased tumorigenicity in vivo. 2) Clone N17 contained 10 copies of the neu oncogene and a low level of neu mRNA transcripts. It did not acquire additional capability for anchorage-independent growth and tumorigenic potential as compared to the controls. 3) Despite an increased level of neu mRNA transcripts present in clone N35, there was no corresponding increase of the steady-state levels of neu protein in this particular clone. 4) When administered subcutaneously, none of the cell clones tested, including the control neomycin-resistant clone, acquired metastatic potential. However, clone N35 exhibited marked metastatic potential when administered orthotopically; this cell clone was found to disseminate widely to the lymph nodes, kidney, skeletal muscle, lung, liver, and bone. 5) When neu-transfected cell subclones from N35-induced primary and metastatic lymph node, kidney, and bone tumors were analyzed for cytoskeletal, extracellular matrix, and cell adhesion protein expression, the bone metastatic subclone exhibited increased levels of vimentin and collagen IV and decreased levels of cytokeratin and ICAM-1. These results, taken together, suggest that neu transfection induces secondary changes, which, rather than neu protein per se, are responsible for the acquisition of tumorigenic and metastatic potential of prostate cancer cells when an appropriate host microenvironment is present.