title: Thermosensitization, heat shock protein synthesis and development of thermotolerance in M-14 human tumor cells subjected to step-down heating.
abstract: M-14 human tumor cells have been subjected to two regimens of step-down heating (SDH) consisting of a conditioning treatment at 42 degrees C for 1 h or at 44.5 degrees C for 20 min, immediately followed by heating at 40 degrees C. Both conditioning treatments thermosensitize the cells towards the subsequent heating at 40 degrees C; the thermosensitization ratio is 6.4 for cells conditioned at 42 degrees C for 1 h and 32.3 for cells conditioned at 44.5 degrees C for 20 min. The overall protein synthetic activity is reduced to 32.7% or 18.4% of control values following 1 h at 42 degrees C and 20 min at 44.5 degrees C, respectively; this inhibition is followed by a full recovery of the synthetic activity during the subsequent exposure at 40 degrees C. SDH-treated cells synthetize four heat shock proteins, with approximate molecular weights of 28, 64, 70 and 90 kDa. The pattern of HSPs induction observed in SDH-treated cells is similar to that found in cells subjected to single hyperthermic exposures. Cells subjected to the SDH sequence 42 degrees C/1 h-->40 degrees C/4 h develop thermotolerance, as indicated by a reduced sensitivity to further hyperthermic challenges.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biophysics, Istituto Regina Elena per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Delpino
authors.forename: F P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Gentile
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Di Modugno
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Benassi
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Mileo
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mattei
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016466:CHO Cells; D002470:Cell Survival; D006224:Cricetinae; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins