mad—overexpression down regulates the malignant growth and p53 mediated apoptosis in human hepatocellular carcinoma BEL—7404 cells

Mad protein has been shown as an antagonist of cMyc protein in some cell lines.The effect of Mad protein to the malignant phenotype of human hepatoma BEL-7404 cell line was investigated experimentally.An eukarryotic vector pCDNA Ⅲ containing full ORF fragment of mad cDNA was transfected into targeted cells.Under G418 selection,stable Mad-overexpressed cells were cloned.Studies on the effect of Mad over-expression in cell proliferation and cell cycle revealed that cell morphology of the Mad-overexpressed BEL-7404-M1 cells was significantly different from the parent and control vector transfected cells.DNA synthesis,cell proliferation and anchorage-independent growth in soft-agar of the madtransfected cells were partially inhibited in comparison to control cells.Flos cytometry analysis indicated that mad over-expression might block more transfectant cells at G0/G1 phase,resulting in the retardation of cell proliferation.RT-PCR detected a marked inhibition of the expression of cdc25A,an important regulator gene of G0/G1 to S phase in cell cycle.It was also found that Mad protein overexpression could greatly suppress p53-mediated apoptosis in BEL-74040M1 cells in the absence of serume.Thus,Mad proteins may function as a negative regulator antagonizing c-Myc activity in the control of cell growth and apoptosis in human hepatocellular carcinoma BEL-7404 cells.     

Intracellular levels of calmodulin are increased in transformed cells

By using Hoechst 33342,rabbit anti calmodulin antibody,FITC-labeled goat anti rabbit IgG and SR101(sulfo rhodamine 101)simultaneously to stain individual normal and transformed cells,the microspectrophotometric analysis demonstrated that 3 markers which represented the nucleus,calmodulin and total protein respectively,could be recognized in individualj cells without interference,The phase of the cell cycle was determined by DNA content(Hoechst 33342),We found that in transformed cells(NIH3T3) tsRSV-LA90,cultured at 33℃ and transformed C3H10T1/2 Cells),the ration of calmodulin to total protein (based on the phases of cell cycle)was higher than that in normal cells (NIH3T3 tsRSV-LA90 cells,cultured at 39℃ and C3H10T1/2 cells)in every cell cycle phase,This ration increased obviously only from G1 to S phase in either normal or transformed cells.The results showed that calmodulinreally increased during the transformation,and its increase was specific.In the meantime when cells proceeded from G1 to S.the intraceollular calmodulin content also increased specifically.     

Thapsigargin increases apoptotic cell death in human hepatoma BEL—7404 cells

Effects of thapsigargin,an inhibitor of Ca^2 -ATPase in surface of endoplasmic reticulum,on apoptotic cell death were studied in human hepatoma cells of BEL-7404 cell line by using both flow cytometry and electron microscopy.Propidium iodide staining and flow cytometry revealed that in the serum-free condition,thapsigargin increased the rate of apoptosis of BEL-7404 cells in a dose-dependent manner.Prolongation of the period of serum-free condition enhanced the apoptosis induced by thapsigargin treatment.Morphological observation with electron microscope further demonstrated that chromatin condensation and fragmentation,apoptotic bodies existed in TG-treated cells,supporting that thapsigargin is a potent activator of apoptosis in the cells.     

Regulation of survivin and CDK4 by Epstein-Barr virus encoded latent membrane protein 1 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell lines

Latent membrane protein 1 （LMP1）, an important protein encoded by Epstein Barr virus （EBV）, has been implied to link with the pathogenesis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma （NPC）. Its dual effects of increasing cell proliferation and inhibiting cell apoptosis have been confirmed. In this study, we showed that the expression of Survivin and CDK4 protein in CNE-LMP1, a LMP1 positive NPC epithelial cell line, is higher than in LMP1 negative NPC epithelial cell line- CNE1, and the expression is LMP1 dosage-dependent. Although it was reported that Survivin specifically expressed in cell cycle G2/M phase, our studies suggested that LMP1 could promote the expression of Survivin in G0/G1, S and G2/ M phase. It also showed that Survivin and CDK4 could be accumulated more in the nuclei triggered by LMP1. More interestingly, Survivin and CDK4 could form a protein complex in the nuclei of CNE-LMP1 rather than in that of CNE1, which demonstrated that the interaction between these two proteins could be promoted by LMPI. These results strongly suggested that the role of LMP1 in the regulation of Survivin and CDK4 may also shed some light on the mechanism research of LMP1 in NPC.     

The distribution of calmodulin and Ca^2＋—activated calmodulin in cell cycle of mouse erythroleukemia cells

Cell proliferation is accompanied with changing levels of intracellular calmodulin (CaM) and its activation.Prior data from synchronized cell population could not actually stand for various CaM levels in different phases of cell cycle.Here,based upon quantitative measurement of fluorescence in individual cells,a method was developed to investigate intracellular total CaM and Ca^2 -activated CaM contents. Intensity of CaM immunoflurescence gave total CaM level,and Ca^2 -activated CaM was measured by fluorescence intensity of CaM antagonist trifluoperazine (TFP).In mouse erythroleukemia (MEL) cells,total CaM level increased from G1 through S to G2M,reaching a maximum of 2-fold increase,then reduced to half amount after cell division.Meanwhile,Ca^2 -activated CaM also in creased through the cell cycle(G1,S,G2M).Increasing observed in G1 meant that the entry of cells from G1 into S phase may require CaM accumulation,and,equally or even more important,Ca^2 -dependent activation of CaM.Ca^2 -activated CaM decreased after cell division.The results suggested that CaM gene expression and C^2 -modulated CaM activation act synergistically to accomplish the cell cycle progression.     

Arsenic trioxide promotes mitochondrial DNA mutation and cell apoptosis in primary APL cells and NB4 cell lines

This study aimed to investigate the effects of arsenic trioxide(As2O3) on the mitochondrial DNA(mtDNA) of acute promyelocytic leukemia(APL) cells.The NB4 cell line was treated with 2.0 μmol/L As2O3 in vitro,and the primary APL cells were treated with 2.0 μmol/L As2O3 in vitro and 0.16 mg kg-1 d-1 As2O3 in vivo.The mitochondrial DNA of all the cells above was amplified by PCR,directly sequenced and analyzed by Sequence Navigatore and Factura software.The apoptosis rates were assayed by flow cytometry.Mitochondrial DNA mutation in the D-loop region was found in NB4 and APL cells before As2O3 use,but the mutation spots were remarkably increased after As2O3 treatment,which was positively correlated to the rates of cellular apoptosis,the correlation coefficient:rNB4-As2O3=0.973818,and rAPL-As2O3=0.934703.The mutation types include transition,transversion,codon insertion or deletion,and the mutation spots in all samples were not constant and regular.It is revealed that As2O3 aggravates mtDNA mutation in the D-loop region of acute promyelocytic leukemia cells both in vitro and in vivo.Mitochondrial DNA might be one of the targets of As2O3 in APL treatment.     

Overexpression of PTEN induces cell growth arrest and apoptosis in human breast cancer ZR-75-1 cells

Phosphatase and tensin homolog （PTEN） is a tumor suppressor gene located at human chromosome 10q23, might play an important role in cell proliferation, cell cycle and apoptosis of cancer cells. In this study, the eukaryotic expression vectors pBP-wt-PTEN （containing a wild-type PTEN gene） and pBP-G129R-PTEN （containing a mutant PTEN gene） were used to transfect breast cancer ZR-75-1 cells. After transfection, ZR-75-1 cells expressing PTEN were obtained and tested. The blue exclusion assay showed the growth rate of the cells transfected with pBP-wt-PTEN was significantly lower than that of the control cells transfected with pBP-G129R-PTEN. Analysis of the cell cycle by flow cytometry showed that the progression from the G1 to the S phase was arrested in cells expressing wild-type PTEN. Some typical morphological changes of apoptosis were also observed in cells transfected with pBP-wt-PTEN, but not in those transfected with pBP-G 129R-PTEN. This study shows that overexpression of PTEN in ZR-75-1 cells leads to cell growth arrest and apoptosis.     

Cell cycle G2/M arrest and activation of cyclin-dependent kinases associated with low-dose paclitaxel-induced sub-G1 apoptosis

Paclitaxel is a potential anti-cancer agent for several malignancies including ovary, breast, and head and neck cancers. This study investigated the kinetics of paclitaxel-induced cell cycle perturbation in two human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cell lines, NPC-TW01 and NPC-TW04. NPC cells treated with higher concentrations (0.1 or 1 μM) of paclitaxel showed obvious G2/M arrest and then converted to a cell population with reduced DNA content, which was detected as a sub-G2 peak in the flow cytometric histographs. If a low concentration (5 nM) of paclitaxel was used instead, transient G2/M arrest was observed in NPC cells, which subsequently converted to a sub-G1 form during the treatment period. Internucleosomal fragmentation and chromatin condensation were detectable in these sub-G1 and sub-G2 cells, suggesting that persistent or transient G2/M arrest is a prerequisite step for apoptosis elicited by varying doses of paclitaxel. The levels of cyclins A, B1, D1, E, CDK 1 (CDC 2), CDK 2 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) were unchanged in NPC cells following treatment with any concentration of paclitaxel; however, apoptosis-related cyclin B1-associated CDC 2 kinase was highly activated by paclitaxel even at concentrations as low as 5 nM, which is consistent with the finding that low-dose paclitaxel is also able to induce apoptosis in NPC cells. Activation of cyclin B1-associated CDC 2 kinase seems to be an important G2/M event required for paclitaxel-induced apoptosis, and this activation of cyclin B1/CDC 2 kinase could be attributed to the increased activity of CDK 7 kinase. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Fucoxanthin induces growth arrest and apoptosis in human bladder cancer T24 cells by up-regulation of p21 and down-regulation of mortalin

Fucoxanthin, a natural carotenoid, has been reported to have anti-cancer activity in human colon cancer cells, human prostate cancer cells, human leukemia cells, and human epithelial cervical cancer cells. This study was undertaken to evaluate the molecular mechanisms of fuco- xanthin against human bladder cancer T24 cell line. MTT analysis results showed that 5 and 10 ixM fucoxanthin inhibited the proliferation of T24 cells in a dose- and time- dependent manner accompanied by the growth arrest at Go/G1 phase of cell cycle, which is mediated by the up-regu- lation of p21, a cyclin-dependent kinase （CDK）-inhibitory protein and the down-regulation of CDK-2, CDK-4, cyclin D1, and cyclin E. In addition, 20 and 40 μM fucoxanthin induced apoptosis of T24 cells by the abrogation of morta- lin-p53 complex and the reactivation of nuclear mutant- type p53, which also had tumor suppressor function as wild-type p53. All these results demonstrated that the anti- cancer activity of fucoxanthin on T24 cells was associated with cell cycle arrest at Go/G1 phase by up-regulation of p21 at low doses and apoptosis via decrease in the expres- sion level of mortalin, which is a stress regulator and a mem- ber of heat shock protein 70, followed by up-regulation of cleaved caspase-3 at high doses.     

桑黄子实体醇提物对SW620结肠癌细胞的抑制作用

为评价桑黄Sanghuangporus sanghuang子实体醇提物对SW620结肠癌细胞的影响,用alamarBlue?法测定细胞增殖率,用流式细胞术碘化丙啶（propidim iodide,PI）染色法和2′,7′-dichlorofluorescin diacetate (H₂DCFDA)染色法分别检测细胞早期凋亡率、细胞周期变化和活性氧（reactive oxygen species,ROS）释放量,结果表明桑黄子实体醇提物在12.5-100μg/mL作用浓度下具有抑制SW620细胞增殖的作用,但对中国仓鼠卵巢（Chinese hamster ovary cell,CHO）细胞和小鼠骨髓巨噬细胞的增殖无显著抑制作用;桑黄子实体醇提物能诱导SW620细胞凋亡,引起细胞周期变化,可降低G0/G1和G2/M期细胞数量,并呈现浓度梯度依赖性,ROS实验结果提示桑黄子实体醇提物的促肿瘤细胞凋亡与ROS释放相关。     

Apoptosis and cell cycle progression in an acidic environment after irradiation

Apoptosis and cell cycle progression in HL60 cells irradiated in an acidic environment were investigated. Apoptosis was determined by TUNEL staining, PARP cleavage, DNA fragmentation, and flow cytometry. The majority of the apoptosis that occurred in HL60 cells after 4 Gy irradiation took place after G(2)/M-phase arrest. When irradiated with 12 Gy, a fraction of the cells underwent apoptosis in G(1) and S phases while the rest of the cells underwent apoptosis in G(2)/M phase. The apoptosis caused by 4 and 12 Gy irradiation was transiently suppressed in medium at pH 7.1 or lower. An acidic environment was found to perturb progression of irradiated cells through the cell cycle, including progression through G(2)/ M phase. Thus it was concluded that the suppression of apoptosis in the cells after 4-12 Gy irradiation in acidic medium was due at least in part to a delay in cell cycle progression, particularly the prolongation of G(2)/M-phase arrest. Irradiation with 20 Gy indiscriminately caused apoptosis in all cell cycle phases, i.e. G(1), S and G(2)/M phases, rapidly in neutral pH medium and relatively slowly in acidic pH medium. The delay in apoptosis in acidic medium after 20 Gy irradiation appeared to result from mechanisms other than prolonged G(2)/ M-phase arrest.     

三氧化二砷诱导CNE1凋亡及其对细胞周期的影响

目的 研究三氧化二砷对人鼻咽癌CNE1细胞凋亡及其细胞周期的影响。方法 应用形态学观察、原位末端标记法(TUNEL)、流式细胞术等方法对三氧化二砷诱导的鼻咽癌细胞CNE1进行检测和观察。结果 一定浓度三氧化二砷能诱导CNE1细胞凋亡,凋亡细胞具有典型的凋亡形态特征,TUNEL原位检测有典型凋亡细胞,流式细胞仪检测有凋亡峰,G2／M期比例升高,呈一定的剂量效应关系。结论 三氧化二砷能诱导人鼻咽癌CNE1细胞株凋亡及阻止细胞周期进展的作用。     

3-Deazauridine triggers dose-dependent apoptosis in myeloid leukemia cells and enhances retinoic acid-induced granulocytic differentiation of HL-60 cells

Therapeutic nucleoside analogue 3-deazauridine (DU) exerts cytotoxic activity against cancer cells by disruption of DNA synthesis resulting in cell death. The present study evaluates whether DU alone at doses 2.5-15 microM or in combination with all trans retinoic acid (RA) or dibutyryl cAMP (dbcAMP) is effective against myelogenous leukemia. The data of this study indicate that DU induces dose-dependent cell death by apoptosis in myeloid leukemia cell lines HL-60, NB4, HEL and K562 as demonstrated by cell staining or flow cytometry and agarose gel electrophoresis. 24h-treatment with DU produced dose-dependent HL-60 cell growth inhibition and dose-independent S phase arrest that was not reversed upon removal of higher doses of DU (10-15 microM). Exposition to nontoxic dose of DU (2.5 microM) for 24h followed by RA or dbcAMP and 96 h-cotreatment with DU significantly enhanced RA- but not dbcAMP-mediated granulocytic differentiation. Cell maturation was paralleled with an increase in the proportion of cells in G1 or G2+M phase. We conclude that, depending on the dose or the sequence of administration with RA, an inhibitor of DNA replication, DU triggers a process of either differentiation or apoptosis in myeloid leukemia cells.     

Synchronized generation of reactive oxygen species with the cell cycle

A possible appearance of reactive oxygen species (ROS) with the normal cell cycle was studied to find how ROS are generated in cells in relation to the cell cycle. The production of ROS in relation to the cell cycle was examined by determining the changes in intracellular ROS concentrations at different phases of the cell cycle by culturing BALB 3T3 cells in the presence and absence of aphidicolin. The amounts of intracellular ROS and the cell population at specific phases (S and G2/M) were determined as the fluorescence of dichlorodihydrofluorescein and propidium iodide taken up simultaneously by the cells, respectively, by flow cytometry. Although intracellular ROS remained at the control levels when the cell growth was arrested with aphidicolin at the G1 phase, they increased when the arrest was released to result in the increase of the cell population at the S phase. Furthermore, ROS was shown to disturb/stop the cell cycle by means of the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay. The cell cycle was regulated through oxidative stress by exposure to hydrogen peroxide and glutathione ethyl ester. The cell cycle was prevented more sensitively in metallothionein-null cells than in the wild type cells. Based on the present observations, we proposed for the first time that ROS are generated synchronously with the normal cell cycle, and that they have to be controlled at certain level for normal progress of the cell cycle.     

Flow cytometric cell cycle analysis of cultured brown bear fibroblast cells

The aim of this study was to assess by flow cytometry the cell cycle of brown bear fibroblast cells cultured under different growth conditions. Skin biopsies were taken in Cantabria (Spain) from a live, anaesthetized brown bear. DNA analysis was performed by flow cytometry following cell DNA staining with propidium iodide. Serum starvation increased (P<0.01) the percentage of G0/G1 phase cells (92.7+/-0.86) as compared to cycling cells (39.7+/-0.86) or cells cultured to confluency (87.3+/-0.86). DMSO included for 48h in the culture significantly increased (P<0.01) the percentage of G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle at all concentrations used and decreased percentages of S phase in a dose-dependent fashion. Roscovitine increased the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle (P<0.01) at 15microM concentration. Interestingly, the G2/M stage significantly increased at 30 and 50microM compared to the control and 15microM (P<0.02). The cell cycle of brown bear adult fibroblast cells can be successfully synchronized under a variety of culture conditions.     

Diarsenic and tetraarsenic oxide inhibit cell cycle progression and bFGF- and VEGF-induced proliferation of human endothelial cells

Arsenic trioxide (As2O3, diarsenic oxide) has recently been reported to induce apoptosis and inhibit the proliferation of various human cancer cells derived from solid tumors as well as hematopoietic malignancies. In this study, the in vitro effects of As2O3 and tetraasrsenic oxide (As4O6) on cell cycle regulation and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF)- or vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-stimulated cell proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were investigated. Significant dose-dependent inhibition of cell proliferation was observed when HUVEC were treated with either arsenical compound for 48 h, and flow cytometric analysis revealed that these two arsenical compounds induced cell cycle arrest at the G1 and G2/M phases--the increases in cell population at the G1 and G2/M phase were dominantly observed in As2O3- and As4O6-treated cells, respectively. In both arsenical compounds-treated cells, the protein levels of cyclin A and CDC25C were significantly reduced in a dose-dependent manner, concomitant to the reduced activities of CDK2- and CDC2-associated kinase. In G1-synchronized HUVEC, the arsenical compounds prevented the cell cycle progression from G1 to S phase, which was stimulated by bFGF or VEGF, through the inhibition of growth factor-dependent signaling. These results suggest that arsenical compounds inhibit the proliferation of HUVEC via G1 and G2/M phase arrest of the cell cycle. In addition, these inhibitory effects on bFGF- or VEGF-stimulated cell proliferation suggest antiangiogenic potential of these arsenical compounds.     

Effect of resveratrol and beta-sitosterol in combination on reactive oxygen species and prostaglandin release by PC-3 cells

The objective of this project was to identify some possible mechanisms by which two common phytochemicals, resveratrol and beta-sitosterol, inhibit the growth of human prostate cancer PC-3 cells. These mechanisms include the effect of the phytochemicals on apoptosis, cell cycle progression, prostaglandin synthesis and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Prostaglandins have been known to play a role in regulating cell growth and apoptosis. PC-3 cells were supplemented with 50 microM resveratrol or 16 microM beta-sitosterol alone or in combination for up to 5 days. Phytochemical supplementation resulted in inhibition in cell growth. beta-Sitosterol was more potent than resveratrol and the combination of the two resulted in greater inhibition than supplementation with either alone. Long-term supplementation with resveratrol or beta-sitosterol elevated basal prostaglandin release but beta-sitosterol was much more potent than resveratrol in this regard. beta-Sitosterol was more effective than resveratrol in inducing apoptosis and the combination had an intermediate effect after 1 day of supplementation. Cells supplemented with resveratrol were arrested at the G1 phase and at the G2/M phase in the case of beta-sitosterol while the combination resulted in cell arrest at the two phases of the cell cycle. beta-Sitosterol increased ROS production while resveratrol decreased ROS production. The combination of the two phytochemicals resulted in an intermediate level of ROS. The observed changes in prostaglandin levels and ROS production by these two phytochemicals may suggest their mediation in the growth inhibition. The reduction in ROS level and increase by resveratrol supplementation in PC-3 cells reflects the antioxidant properties of resveratrol. It was concluded that these phytochemicals may induce the inhibition of tumor growth by stimulating apoptosis and arresting cells at different locations in the cell cycle and the mechanism may involve alterations in ROS and prostaglandin production.     

A Novobiocin Derivative,XN4, Inhibits the Proliferation of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Cells by Inducing Oxidative DNA Damage

XN4 might induce DNA damage and apoptotic cell death through reactive oxygen species (ROS). The inhibition of proliferation of K562 and K562/G01 cells was measured by MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide). The mRNA levels of NADPH oxidase 1-5 (Nox1-5) genes were evaluated by qRT-PCR. The levels of extracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), DNA damage, apoptosis, and cell cycle progression were examined by flow cytometry (FCM). Protein levels were analyzed by immunoblotting. XN4 significantly inhibited the proliferation of K562 and K562/G01 cells, with IC₅₀ values of 3.75±0.07 µM and 2.63±0.43 µM, respectively. XN4 significantly increased the levels of Nox4 and Nox5 mRNA, stimulating the generation of intracellular ROS, inducing DNA damage and activating ATM-γ-H2AX signaling, which increased the number of cells in the S and G2/M phase of the cell cycle. Subsequently, XN4 induced apoptotic cell death by activating caspase-3 and PARP. Moreover, the above effects were all reversed by the ROS scavenger N-acetylcysteine (NAC). Additionally, XN4 can induce apoptosis in progenitor/stem cells isolated from CML patients’ bone marrow. In conclusion, XN4-induced DNA damage and cell apoptosis in CML cells is mediated by the generation of ROS.