Nitric oxide‐mediated inhibition of NFκB regulates hyperthermia‐induced apoptosis

Ascertaining the upstream regulatory mechanisms of hyperthermia‐induced apoptosis is important to understand the role of hyperthermia in combined modality cancer therapy. Accordingly, we investigated whether (i) hyperthermia‐induced apoptosis is mediated through the nitric oxide (NO) signaling pathway and (ii) inhibition of post‐translational modification of IκBα and down regulation of NFκB‐DNA binding activity is an intermediate step in NO‐dependent apoptosis in MCF‐7 breast cancer cells. For hyperthermia treatment, the cells were exposed to 43°C. Intracellular NO levels measured by the fluorescent intensity of DAF‐2A and iNOS expression by immunobloting revealed an increased level of iNOS dependent NO production after 43°C. Apoptosis measured by Annexin V expression and cell survival by clonogenic assay showed a 20% increase in apoptosis after 43°C treatments. EMSA analysis showed a dose‐dependent inhibition of NFκB‐DNA binding activity. The hyperthermia‐mediated inhibition of NFκB was persistent even after 48 h. Inhibition of NO by L ‐NAME rescued the NFκB‐DNA binding activity and inhibits heat‐induced apoptosis. Similarly, over‐expression of NFκB by transient transfection inhibits heat‐induced apoptosis. These results demonstrate that apoptosis upon hyperthermia exposure of MCF‐7 cells is regulated by NO‐mediated suppression of NFκB. J. Cell. Biochem. 106: 999–1009, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Attenuation of sepsis-induced apoptosis by heat shock pretreatment in rats

Apoptosis is a process by which cells undergo a form of non-necrotic cellular suicide. Although it is a programmed process, apoptosis can be induced by various stressors. During sepsis, apoptosis has been regarded as an important cause of cell death in the immune system, leading to unresponsiveness to treatment. This study was designed to investigate how prior heat shock induction can influence the rate of apoptosis in animals that have experienced sepsis. Sprague-Dawley rats were used, and experimental sepsis was induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Animals in the heated group were anesthetized and received heat shock by whole-body hyperthermia. They were sacrificed 9 h and 18 h after CLP as early and late sepsis, respectively. Apoptosis was evaluated by "DNA ladder" detection in agarose electrophoresis and Tdt-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL) assay. Hsp72 was detected by Western blot analysis. The results showed that the DNA ladder was detected most clearly in the thymus at the late phase of sepsis with time course dependence, while it showed less clearly in heat shock treated animals. Histopathological study by TUNEL assay obtained similar results in the thymus, where the cortex was more susceptible to apoptosis than the medulla. The Western blot analysis showed that the heat shock induced Hsp72 concomitant with an increase in Bcl-2:Bax ratio. In conclusion, heat shock pretreatment prevents rats from sepsis-induced apoptosis that may account for the better outcome of experimental sepsis. An increase in the Bcl-2:Bax ratio may in part explain the molecular mechanism of the effect of heat shock pretreatment.     

热疗联合一氧化氮供体硝酸异山梨酯诱导Hep-A细胞凋亡的研究

To investigate the apoptosis of Hep-A cells induced by hyperthermia combined with Nitric Oxide donor (Isosorbide dinitrate, ISDN) and its mechanism. The inhibitory effect on the growth of Hep-A cells was measured by MTT assay. Apoptosis of Hep-A cells was observed by electron microscopy and flow cytometry. The levels of Bcl-2 were detected with Western blot assay. It showed stronger antiproliferative ability in three experimental groups than that in control, and hyperthermia combined with ISDN group had better inhibitory effect than other groups (p < 0.05). With electron microscopy, marked changes of cell apoptosis were observed, including microvilli disappearance or reduction, cell shrinkage, chromatin condensation or margination and the presence of "apoptosis bodies". The apoptotic ratio induced by hyperthermia and ISDN group was higher than other groups, furthermore, the levels of Bcl-2 were decreased in three experimental groups. The present study indicated that hyperthermia combined with ISDN could induce apoptosis of Hep-A cells and be more effective than either hyperthermia or ISDN, which may be related to expression decreased Bcl-2.     

No detectable misrejoining in double-minute chromosomes.

Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis combined with Southern hybridization and rare-cutting restriction endonuclease digestion has been used recently to quantify misrejoining of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) resulting from exposure to ionizing radiation. Measurements are made 24 h after a high dose of radiation. These studies have suggested that a large fraction of DSBs are misrejoined to result in gross rearrangements. In the experiments described here, we show that elimination of broken DNA also eliminates "misrejoined" DNA. Mouse cells resistant to high levels of methotrexate by virtue of 100-fold amplification of the dyhydrofolate reductase (Dhfr) gene were treated with 50 and 100 Gy of ionizing radiation. The cells were allowed to repair the damage for 24 h. After the repair period, the cells were immobilized in agarose. Aliquots of each sample were pre-electrophoresed to remove linear DNA molecules smaller than 6 Mbp resulting from apoptosis or necrosis. The samples repairing damage from 50 or 100 Gy that did not receive the pre-electrophoresis showed high levels of label in a region of the lane that could be due to misrejoining DNA molecules. However, when the DNA from cells undergoing apoptosis or necrosis was removed from these samples, the levels of "misrejoined" DNA were reduced to levels far below those of unirradiated controls. These results suggest that other radiation-induced effects present 24 h after irradiation with 50 or 100 Gy are more significant than misrejoining for altering hybridization to regions of the lane outside the specific bands. Measurements of misrejoining using PFGE, rare-cutting restriction endonucleases, and Southern hybridization are likely to be compromised by nonspecific hybridization to broken and difficult-to-digest DNA resulting from apoptosis or necrosis.     

Using method of DNA microelectrophoresis for the assessment of genotoxic effects of mutagens in cultured human hemopoietic cells

Formation of single- and double strand breaks in DNA which may be discovered by microelectrophoresis in agarose gel is one of the criterion of genetical lesions in cells as a result of apoptosis or of genotoxic agent action. Genotoxic action of nickel chloride at the level of DNA of the individual cells in the initial culture of human embryonic haemopoietic cells was studied. It has been shown that about 2% cells in the studied in vitro populations were in the apoptosis state. Nickel chloride induced increasing of the frequency of formation of electrophoretic tracks of "comet" type with destroyed DNA.     

天花粉蛋白诱发白血病细胞K562凋亡的研究

天花粉蛋白(Trichosanthin,TCS),是一种从栝楼块根内提取的核糖体失活蛋白,具有流产、抗肿瘤和抗HIV等多种生物活性。本文利用FACS检测到天花粉蛋白可使K562白血病细胞产生明显的凋亡小峰、DNA区带电泳成典型的“梯状”条带,电镜检测可观察到明显的细胞凋亡形态。这些结果表明天花粉蛋白可以诱发K562白血病细胞产生凋亡。     

天花粉收白诱发白血病细胞K562凋亡的研究

Trichosanthin (TCS), an eukaryotic ribosome-inactivating protein isolated from the root tuber of Trichosanthes plant, has various biological activities including abortion induction, antitumor, and anti-HIV. In this study, cultured human leukemia K562 cells treated with trichosanthin were examined. Analysis of the cells by single laser flow cytometry showed the sub-G1 peak. DNA extracted from these cells formed a characteristic "ladder" on agarose gel electrophoresis. Under electromicroscope, typical morphological changes of apoptosis were also observed. From all of these findings, we concluded that trichosanthin was able to induce apoptosis in K562 cells.     

An investigation of a possible role for mitochondrial nuclease in apoptosis

Since mitochondrial factors have been implicated in apoptosis, experiments were designed to assess whether or not the potent mitochondrial nuclease could be one of these factors. Nuclei isolated by two different methods were found to contain mitochondrial nuclease in masked form. This nuclease was released by treatment with the non-ionic detergent NP-40 and rendered trypsin-sensitive. It was not removed appreciably from the nuclei by washing and sedimentation of the nuclei through a sucrose cushion. Levels of the mitochondrial nuclease were followed during drug-induced apoptosis. Time courses of apoptosis in cultures of HL-60 cells were monitored by flow cytometry of propidium iodide-stained cells and by agarose gel electrophoresis of extracted DNA. Changes in the inner mitochondrial transmembrane potential were monitored by flow cytometry of chloromethyl-X-Rosamine-stained cells. Apoptosis was induced by treatment with either the chemotherapeutic agent etoposide (VP-16 at 10 M) over an 8 h period or with the anti-rheumatic agent hydroxychloroquine (HCQ at 0.28 mM) over a 24 h period. These two drugs likely act in different pathways of apoptosis. VP-16 caused loss of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential 1.0–1.5 h before apoptosis was detected. On the other hand, treatment with HCQ caused these processes to occur in parallel possibly indicating that the mitochondrial changes are secondary events. No losses of masked mitochondrial nuclease were detected with either drug treatment during the course of apoptosis. HL-60 mitochondrial DNA was also not degraded during apoptosis induced by either agent. These observations likely explain why the mitochondrial DNA is not degraded and make it unlikely that mitochondrial nuclease plays any role in vivo in chromatin DNA fragmentation.     

Enhancement of hyperthermia-induced apoptosis by a new synthesized class of benzocycloalkene compounds

The aim of this study was to examine whether, a new synthesized class of benzocycloalkene derivatives (BCs), enhances apoptosis induced by hyperthermia. The combined effects of hyperthermia (44°C, 20 min) and BCs on apoptosis in human lymphoma U937 cells were investigated. Among the tested compounds (BC1 ∼ 9), the combined treatment of 10 μM BC2 or BC4 and hyperthermia showed the largest potency to induce DNA fragmentation at 6 h after hyperthermia. And enhancement of hyperthermia-induced apoptosis by BC2 or BC4 in a dose-dependent manner was observed. When the cells were treated first with BC2 or BC4 at a nontoxic concentration of 20 μM, and exposed to hyperthermia afterwards, a significant enhancement of heat-induced apoptosis was evidenced by DNA fragmentation, morphological changes and phosphatidylserine externalization. Flow cytometry revealed an increase of intracellular superoxide due to BC2 or BC4, which was further increased when hyperthermia was combined. Mitochondrial membrane potential was decreased and the activation of caspase-3 and caspase-8 was enhanced in the cells treated with the combination. The activation of Bid, but no change of Bax and Bcl-2 were observed after the combined treatment. The release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytosol, which was induced by hyperthermia, was enhanced by BC2 or BC4. An increase in the intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration [Ca²⁺]_i, externalization of Fas, and decrease in Hsp70 were observed following the combined treatment. These results indicate that the intracellular superoxide generated by BC2 or BC4 is involved in the enhancement of apoptosis through Fas-mitochondria caspase and [Ca²⁺]_i-dependent pathways, and a decrease in Hsp70 also contributed to the enhancement of apoptosis.     

流感病毒感染诱导MDCK细胞凋亡的研究

用荧光染色、DNA凝胶电泳等方法检测了A型流感病毒株A1／京防86－1和B型流感病毒株B/沪防93－1诱导狗肾体代细胞(MDCKcells)的凋亡情况,并采用MTT法和流式细胞仪比较了这2株病毒对MMCK细胞的毒力和凋亡诱导能力水平。结果显示：病毒感染6h后,细胞DNA发生断裂,病毒感染12h后,可见明显的染色质凝聚;在一定范围内,细胞凋亡强度表现出明显的时间和剂量依赖关系;并且,A型流感病毒株的毒力和调亡诱导能力均强于B型流感病毒株。实验结果表明：流感病毒感染引起的细胞死亡主要是通过调亡实现的,毒力不同的流感病毒株诱导细胞调亡的能力不同。     

Role of radical oxygen species in rat testicular germ cell apoptosis induced by heat stress.

The present study was designed to clarify the role of radical oxygen species in testicular germ cell apoptosis induced by heat stress. Testicular cells isolated from immature rats were cultured with or without elevated temperature, and occurrence of apoptosis in these cells was defined by the appearance of DNA fragmentation following agarose gel electrophoresis and by flow cytometric quantification of apoptotic cells. At 32.5 degrees C, < 1% of cells showed signs of apoptosis throughout the culture period, whereas under heat stress, the proportion of apoptotic cells increased to 5% at 37 degrees C after 24 h of culture, or to 14% after 1-h exposure at 43 degrees C followed by 23-h culture at 32.5 degrees C. Similar to the effect of heat stress, exogenously supplied oxygen free radicals also induced apoptosis. In contrast, treatment with catalase significantly attenuated heat stress-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, heat stress of testicular cells was associated with an increased intracellular peroxide level as measured by a fluorescent probe, 2', 7'-dichlorofluorescin diacetate. In conclusion, our data indicate the involvement of radical oxygen species during testicular germ cell apoptosis induced by heat stress. This study provides a useful in vitro model for the study of testicular germ cell apoptosis.     

苏云金芽孢杆菌Bt9875晶体蛋白诱导HL-60细胞凋亡

[目的]研究苏云金芽孢杆菌(Bacillus thuringiensis,Bt)Bt9875菌株晶体蛋白对人急性髓细胞性白血病细胞HL-60的影响.[方法]采用MTT比色、荧光显微观察、DNA凝胶电泳、流式细胞术等方法来检测不同浓度的Bt9875晶体蛋白处理后HL-60细胞的凋亡特征.[结果]Bt9875晶体蛋白对HL-60细胞的生长具有明显的抑制作用,且随着蛋白质浓度的增加对HL-60细胞生长抑制愈加明显,而对正常人外周血单个核细胞(PBMC)无作用;荧光显微镜下观察发现经该蛋白作用后HL-60细胞核的形态呈现凋亡特征;流式细胞术分析表明,HL-60细胞经100 μg/mL晶体蛋白作用后,凋亡率达到52%;琼脂糖凝胶电泳显示细胞DNA呈梯状降解.[结论]初步证明了Bt9875晶体蛋白在体外能够明显抑制HL-60细胞的增长,并诱导其凋亡,这为苏云金芽抱杆菌晶体蛋白的应用开创了新的思路.     

Induction of apoptosis in HT29 human intestinal epithelial cells by the cytotoxic enterotoxin of Aeromonas hydrophila.

The cytotoxic enterotoxin produced by Aeromonas hydrophila is considered to be the main virulence factor in gastrointestinal infections mediated by this pathogen. In this study, we examined the morphological and apoptotic effects of this toxin on HT29 cells, using light and electron microscopy in situ, as well as agarose gel electrophoresis of cell DNA. Cells treated with the cytotoxic enterotoxin became round and lost their polarity as well as their adhesion to each other and to the substrate. Cytoplasmic blebbing and nuclear condensation also occurred. DNA fragmentation was detected by TUNEL labelling and agarose gel electrophoresis. These results show that the cytotoxic enterotoxin of A. hydrophila can induce apoptosis in human intestinal cells in culture.     

Enhancement of hyperthermia-induced apoptosis by a new synthesized class of furan-fused tetracyclic compounds

The combined effects of hyperthermia (44 degrees C, 20 min) or X-rays (10 Gy) and a new class of furan-fused tetracyclic synthesized compounds (DFs), on apoptosis in human lymphoma U937 cells were investigated. Among the tested compounds (DF1 approximately 6), the combined treatment of 10 microM DF with TIPS (triisopropylsilyloxy) (Designated #3 DF3) and hyperthermia showed the largest potency to induce DNA fragmentation at 6 h after hyperthermia but no enhancement was observed if it was combined with X-rays. Enhancement of hyperthermia-induced apoptosis by DF3 in a dose-dependent manner was observed. When the cells were treated first with DF3 at a nontoxic concentration of 20 microM, and exposed to hyperthermia afterwards, a significant enhancement of heat-induced apoptosis was evidenced by DNA fragmentation, morphological changes and phosphatidylserine externalization. The activation of Bid, but no change of Bax and Bcl-2 were observed after the combined treatment. The release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytosol, which was induced by hyperthermia, was enhanced by DF3. Mitochondrial transmembrane potential was decreased and the activation of caspase-3 and caspase-8 was enhanced in the cells treated with the combination. Externalization of Fas was observed following the combined treatment. Flow cytometry revealed rapid and sustained increase of intracellular superoxide due to DF3, and showed subsequent and transient increase in the formation of intracellular hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), which was further increased when hyperthermia was combined. These results indicate that the intracellular superoxide and H(2)O(2) generated by DF3 enhance the hyperthermia-induced apoptosis via the Fas-mediated mitochondrial caspase-dependent pathway.     

Comparison of plastid DNA replication in different cells and tissues of the rice plant

In a previous study, we mapped replication origin regions of the plastid DNA around the 3 end of the 23S rRNA gene in rice suspension-cultured cells. Here, we examined initiation of the plastid DNA replication in different rice cells by two-dimensional agarose gel electrophoresis. We show for the first time, to our knowledge, that the replication origin region of the plastid DNA differs among cultured cells, coleoptiles and mature leaves. In addition, digestion of the replication intermediates from the rice cultured cells with mung bean nuclease, a single-strand-specific nuclease, revealed that both two single strands of the double-stranded parental DNA were simultaneously replicated in the origin region. This was further confirmed by two-dimensional agarose gel analysis with single-stranded RNA probes. Thus, the mode of plastid DNA replication presented here differs from the unidirectional replication started by forming displacement loops (D-loops), in which the two D-loops on the opposite strands expand toward each other and only one parental strand serves as a template.     

Induced thermotolerance to apoptosis in a human T lymphocyte cell line.

A brief exposure to elevated temperatures elicits, in all organisms, a transient state of increased heat resistance known as thermotolerance. The mechanism for this thermotolerant state is unknown primarily because it is not clear how mild hyperthermia leads to cell death. The realization that cell death can occur through an active process of self destruction, known as apoptosis, led us to consider whether thermotolerance provides protection against this mode of cell death. Apoptosis is a common and essential form of cell death that occurs under both physiological and pathological conditions. This mode of cell death requires the active participation of the dying cell and in this way differs mechanistically from the alternative mode of cell death, necrosis. Here we show that mild hyperthermia induces apoptosis in a human leukemic T cell line. This is evidenced by chromatin condensation, nuclear fragmentation and the cleavage of DNA into oligonucleosome size units. DNA fragmentation is a biochemical hallmark of apoptosis and requires the activation of an endogenous endonuclease. The extent of DNA fragmentation was proportional to the severity of heat stress for cells heated at 43 degrees C from 30 to 90 minutes. A brief conditioning heat treatment induced a resistance to apoptosis. This was evident as a resistance to DNA fragmentation and a reduction in the number of apoptotic cells after a heat challenge. Resistance to DNA fragmentation developed during a recovery period at 37 degrees C and was correlated with enhanced heat shock protein (hsp) synthesis. This heat-induced resistance to apoptosis suggests that thermotolerant cells have gained the capacity to prevent the onset of this pathway of self-destruction. An examination of this process in heated cells should provide new insights into the molecular basis of cellular thermotolerance.     

Induction of Apoptosis in Leukemia U937 Cells by 5′-Deoxy-5′-methylthioadenosine, a Potent Inhibitor of Protein Carboxylmethyltransferase

We found dramatic changes in leukemia U937 cells treated with 5′-deoxy-5′-methylthioadenosine (MTA), a potent inhibitor of protein carboxylmethyltransferase (protein methylase II). Initiation of cell death was observed by 1 day after MTA treatment, and it was induced in a dose- and time-dependent manner. However, cell viability measured by trypan blue exclusion was not consistent with the actual percentage of cell death. These results indirectly indicated that the type of cell death is apoptosis rather than necrosis. Nuclear fragmentation and DNA condensation of MTA-treated U937 cells were analyzed by both fluorescent and electron microscopy. MTA-treated cells first began to arrest in the M phase of the cell cycle, and they then exhibited a mitotic-like nuclear fragmentation process with partially membraneless chromatin. Furthermore, agarose gel electrophoresis of DNA extracted from cells treated with MTA showed DNA laddering with production of fragments of approximately 200 bp multiples. These studies indicated that cell death induced by MTA has the characteristics of apoptosis, although nuclear fragmentation is atypical. It seems likely that the process of apoptosis in U937 cells induced by MTA correlates with incomplete assembly of the nuclear envelope, since MTA itself could inhibit the carboxylmethylation of nuclear lamin B and delayed incorporation of lamin B into the nuclear envelope.     

口蹄疫病毒诱导宿主细胞凋亡的研究

本文报道了口蹄疫病毒（Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus,FMDV）在体外诱导PK－15细胞凋亡的研究结果,采用Hoechst33258荧光探针、DNA凝胶电泳、脱氧核糖核酸转移酶介导的制品末端标记（TUNEL）技术均检测到了典型的细胞凋亡,结果显示：使用感染性滴度为4.8lgTCID50/mL的口蹄疫病毒感染PK－15细胞,在培养32h后,荧光探针检测呈现典型的凋亡细胞核固缩和梅花状碎裂核,并伴随有凋亡小体出现,调亡率约为20％;DNA凝胶电泳显示ladder梯带;末端标记检测到强绿色荧光标记物结合于凋亡细胞核上。研究结果提示：口蹄疫病毒可以在体外诱导宿主细胞凋亡,细胞凋亡是其致细胞病变死亡的重要途径之一。     

口蹄疫病毒诱导宿主细胞凋亡的研究

本文报道了口蹄疫病毒（Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus,FMDV）在体外诱导PK-15细胞凋亡的研究结果。采用Hoechst33258荧光探针、DNA凝胶电泳、脱氧核糖核酸转移酶介导的缺口末端标记（TUNEL）技术均检测到了典型的细胞凋亡。结果显示使用感染性滴度为4.8lgTCID50/mL的口蹄疫病毒感染PK-15细胞,在培养32?h后荧光探针检测呈现典型的凋亡细胞核固缩和梅花状碎裂核,并伴随有凋亡小体出现,凋亡率约为20%;DNA凝胶电泳显示ladder梯带;末端标记检测到强绿色荧光标记物结合于凋亡细胞核上。研究结果提示口蹄疫病毒可以在体外诱导宿主细胞凋亡,细胞凋亡是其致细胞病变死亡的重要途径之一。     

Dna comets as markers of cells death]

Unstimulated human peripheral blood lymphocytes gradually underwent death during incubation in vitro. According to morphological criteria, the type of death was identified as apoptosis. After immobilization in agarose, lysis, and electrophoresis, these lymphocytes formed DNA comets, which differed in DNA content, tail length, tail moment, and the fraction of DNA migrating in the comet tail. We classified the comets in 3 groups in accordance with the values of these parameters. There was a good correlation between the fraction of apoptotic cells (morphological data) and the fraction of "apoptotic" DNA comets. The results showed that DNA comets may be adequate markers of cell death (including apoptosis). The use of DNA comets as markers of spontaneous death made it possible to reveal an increased level of apoptosis in vitro lymphocytes from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.