Effects of exogenous ubiquitin on cell division cycle mutants of Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Many important cellular processes like cell cycle are regulated by selective degradation of short-lived cellular proteins via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Deregulation in degradation of any of these controlling molecules can lead to abnormalities like malignancies, neurodegenerative disorders, etc. Research on effects of exogenously added Ubiquitin (Ub) on cell cycle has been lacking. This report describes the effects of exogenously added Ub on the growth of Schizosaccharomyces pombe cells. Addition of Ub was found to cause inhibition in growth of cells. In temperature sensitive cell division cycle mutant, which exhibits arrest at the G2 phase, the exogenously added Ub affected the cell-cycle arrest. Addition of Lactacystin, an inhibitor of the proteasome degradation pathway, abolished the effects of externally added Ub. A proposal has been made on the mechanism through which externally added Ub may exert its effects on cells.     

Expression of MFα1 in MATa cells supersensitive to α-factor leads to self-arrest

Summary MATa cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae defective in both the SST1 and SST2 gene products exhibit selfarrest when they express the MF1 gene under the control of the GAL1 promoter. This reponse to endogenously produced pheromone can be alleviated by mutations which prevent the production of, or response to, -factor. Suppressors of the self-arrest phenotype include a class of mutants which remain responsive to low levels of pheromone, but are resistant to high levels of -factor. One of these mutants has been mapped to chromosome X, 31 cM distal to SUP4, and defines a new locus designated STE18.     

Lack of cell-cycle-specific effects of recombinant tumor necrosis factor in vivo

Several in vitro studies have demonstrated that tumor cells arrested in the G2 and M phases of the cell cycle expressed an increased sensitivity to the tumor necrosis factor (TNF). The scope of the present study was to investigate whether this cycle dependence of TNF effects also exists in vivo. The experiments were performed by using the Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC), which had been allotransplanted to nude mice. In order to induce delays of the tumor cell cycle in G2, the animals were treated with etoposide (40 mg/kg body weight i.p.) or with local radiation (15 Gy), each increasing the G2 fraction of the LLC from 10% to 35% and 50% respectively. For combination therapy with recombinant (r)TNF, the tumor was transplanted to four groups of six mice each, one of them serving as a control group the others being treated either with a G2 inductor alone, with rTNF alone, or with rTNF and a G2 inductor combined. Administration of rTNF (125 or 250 g/kg body weight i.v.) was always carried out 24 h after therapy with etoposide or radiation when the maximum of G2 accumulation had developed. The growth behavior of the treated tumors revealed that the response of the LLC to rTNF in vivo was not improved by pretreatment with a G2 inductor and, thus, obviously lacked cell-cycle specificity. It is supposed that direct interactions of TNF with the tumor cells, which are a basic requirement for cell-cycle-linked phenomena, play a minor role in the therapeutic outcome of the LLC under in vivo conditions.     

Mathematical models of the fate of lymphoma B cells after antigen receptor ligation with specific antibodies

We formulate models of the mechanism(s) by which B cell lymphoma cells stimulated with an antibody specific to the B cell receptor (IgM) become quiescent or apoptotic. In particular, we aim to reproduce experimental results by Marches et al. according to which the fate of the targeted cells (Daudi) depends on the levels of expression of p21(Waf1) (p21) cell-cycle inhibitor. A simple model is formulated in which the basic ingredients are p21 and caspase activity, and their mutual inhibition. We show that this model does not reproduce the experimental results and that further refinement is needed. A second model successfully reproduces the experimental observations, for a given set of parameter values, indicating a critical role for Myc in the fate decision process. We use bifurcation analysis and objective sensitivity analysis to assess the robustness of our results. Importantly, this analysis yields experimentally testable predictions on the role of Myc, which could have therapeutic implications.     

Synthesis, cytotoxic activities and cell cycle arrest profiles of naphtho[2,1-α]pyrrolo[3,4-c]carbazole-5,7(6H,12H)-dione glycosides

Naphtho[2,1-α]pyrrolo[3,4-c]carbazole-5,7(6H,12H)-dione (NPCD) is known to be a very potent and selective cyclin D1-CDK4 inhibitors and could induce strong G1 phase arrest in breast tumor cell lines. In this work, the synthesis of five NPCD glycosides and their cytotoxic activities against eight tumor cell lines are presented, as well as the investigation of their cell cycle arrest profiles. The results showed that the introduction of a sugar moiety onto NPCD did not affect much of their cytotoxic activities, while the subtle structure of the sugar moiety affected the underlying mechanism strongly. In addition, NPCD showed distinct cell-cycle arrest profiles in BxPC3 prostate cells and MCF-7 breast cells, while NPCD glycosides shared similar cell cycle arrest profiles in MCF-7 and BxPC3 cells, which also indicated that not only the indolocarbazole framework as well known before but the sugar moiety can have a profound impact on the mechanism of action for these types of compounds.     

Design and synthesis of aryl ether and sulfone hydroxamic acids as potent histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors

A series of novel hydroxamic acid based histone deacetylases (HDAC) inhibitors with aryl ether and aryl sulfone residues at the terminus of a substituted, unsaturated 5-carbon spacer moiety have been synthesized for the first time and evaluated. Compounds with meta- and para-substitution on the aryl ring of ether hydroxamic acids 19c, 20c, 19e, 19f and 19g are potent HDAC inhibitors with activities at low nanomolar levels.     

Preparation of pea (Pisum sativum L.) chromosome and nucleus suspensions from single root tips

A high-yield method for the isolation of intact nuclei and chromosomes in suspension from a variable number of pea root tips (1–10) has been developed. This procedure is based on a two-step cell-cycle synchronization of root-tip meristems to obtain a high mitotic index, followed by formaldehyde fixation and mechanical isolation of chromosomes and nuclei by homogenization. In the explant, up to 50% of metaphases were induced through a synchronization of the cell cycle at the G₁/S interface with hydroxyurea (1.25 mM), followed, after a 3-h release, by a block in metaphase with amiprophos-methyl (10 M). The quality and quantity of nuclei and chromosomes were related to the extent of the fixation. Best results were obtained after a 30-min fixation with 2% and 4% formaldehyde for nuclei and chromosomes, respectively. The method described here allowed the isolation of nuclei and chromosomes, even from a single root tip, with a yield of 1×10⁵/root and 1.4×10⁵/root, respectively. Isolated suspensions were suitable for flow cytometric analysis and sorting and PRINS labelling with a rDNA probe.     

哺乳类细胞中周期蛋白依赖激酶抑制因子

近两年,人们相继发现了一组能结合性抑制周期蛋白依赖激酶（ＣＤＫｓ）活性的蛋白因子──ＣＤＫ抑制因子（ＣＫＩｓ）。它们分别是：ｐ２１、ｐ１６、ｐ１５、ｐ２７和ＣＤＩｌ。ｐ２１和ｐ２７有一定同源性,能抑制多种ＣＤＫｓ的活性;ｐ１６和ｐ１５则同源性更高,能特异地与ＣＤＫ４、ＣＤＫ６结合;ＣＤ１１的结合特异性还有待进一步的研究。ｐ２１的表达受ｐ５３的正调控;ＴＧＦ－β则上调ｐ１５的表达以及ｐ２７的抑制活性。以上表明ＣＫｌｓ不仅是ＣＤＫｓ活性的调控者,而且还是抑癌因子与细胞周期调控之间的直接联系者。     

PRMT5调控三阴性乳腺癌对多西他赛敏感性的研究

目的:探讨蛋白质精氨酸甲基转移酶5(protein arginine methyltransferase 5,PRMT5)对三阴性乳腺癌对多西他赛敏感性的影响,为三阴性乳腺癌的治疗提供新的思路。方法:通过包装慢病毒构建PRMT5过表达稳转细胞系和PRMT5敲除细胞系。采用平板克隆测定不同浓度下多西他赛对于MDA-MB-231细胞和PRMT5过表达细胞增殖的影响。采用流式周期和凋亡检测不同浓度多西他赛对PRMT5过表达和PRMT5敲除以及MDA-MB-231亲本细胞的周期以及凋亡的影响。采用Western Blot方法检测PARP以及p21、p27及LC3等表达。结果:成功构建PRMT5过表达及敲除稳转系。与对应对照组(MDA-MB-231细胞)比较,4nM和8nM的多西他赛处理的PRMT5过表达细胞系(MDA-MB-231-PRMT5细胞)形成克隆率明显降低(P0.05),细胞凋亡率明显增加(P0.05),细胞周期p21分子表达增多(P0.05),但未随浓度增加增高(P0.05),cycling D1、PARP剪切体、LC3-Ⅱ的表达均明显增加(P0.05)。4nM和8nM的多西他赛处理的PRMT5敲除稳转系(MDA-MB-231-sh PRMT5)细胞凋亡率、p21、p27、cyclin D1、LC3-Ⅱ的表达均较对应对照组(MDA-MB-231细胞)明显降低(P0.05),LC3-Ⅱ表达水平较亲本低(P0.05)。结论:PRMT5高表达可增加MDA-MB-231细胞对多西他赛的敏感性,PRMT5有望成为多西他赛临床治疗敏感性预测和方案选择的关键分子,并有望成为调控多西他赛等化疗药物耐药的新靶点。     

A framework for whole-cell mathematical modeling

The default framework for modeling biochemical processes is that of a constant-volume reactor operating under steady-state conditions. This is satisfactory for many applications, but not for modeling growth and division of cells. In this study, a whole-cell modeling framework is developed that assumes expanding volumes and a cell-division cycle. A spherical newborn cell is designed to grow in volume during the growth phase of the cycle. After 80% of the cycle period, the cell begins to divide by constricting about its equator, ultimately affording two spherical cells with total volume equal to twice that of the original. The cell is partitioned into two regions or volumes, namely the cytoplasm (Vcyt) and membrane (Vmem), with molecular components present in each. Both volumes change during the cell cycle; Vcyt changes in response to osmotic pressure changes as nutrients enter the cell from the environment, while Vmem changes in response to this osmotic pressure effect such that membrane thickness remains invariant. The two volumes change at different rates; in most cases, this imposes periodic or oscillatory behavior on all components within the cell. Since the framework itself rather than a particular set of reactions and components is responsible for this behavior, it should be possible to model various biochemical processes within it, affording stable periodic solutions without requiring that the biochemical process itself generates oscillations as an inherent feature. Given that these processes naturally occur in growing and dividing cells, it is reasonable to conclude that the dynamics of component concentrations will be more realistic than when modeled within constant-volume and/or steady-state frameworks. This approach is illustrated using a symbolic whole cell model.