title: Inhibition by selenium of DNA and RNA synthesis in normal and malignant human cells in vitro.
abstract: Several studies have demonstrated differences between normal and malignant cells in their sensitivity to various effects of selenite. We have compared the effect of selenite on DNA and RNA synthesis in two pairs of normal and malignant human cell lines. One pair of cells, CCL-210 (normal lung fibroblasts) and A549 (lung adenocarcinoma cells), exhibited a large difference in their sensitivity to selenite but no significant difference in their sensitivity to selenodiglutathione. They also had a large difference in the level of intracellular sulfhydryl (SH) compounds. In contrast the other pair of cells, WI-38 (normal fetal lung fibroblasts) and WI-38VA (SV-40 transformed WI-38 cells) both had low levels of intracellular SH compounds and exhibited similar (low) sensitivity to selenite. Our results indicate that differences between normal and malignant cells in their sensitivity to selenite could be due to a difference in the reaction of selenite with intracellular sulfhydryl compounds to form selenotrisulfides.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07102.
authors.forename: F I
authors.initials: FI
authors.lastname: Abdullaev
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: MacVicar
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Frenkel
mesh_terms: D002460:Cell Line; D002478:Cells, Cultured / Q000378:metabolism; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005978:Glutathione / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016566:Organoselenium Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D020887:Selenious Acid; D012643:Selenium / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D016566:Organoselenium Compounds; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds; C017710:selenodiglutathione; D020887:Selenious Acid; D005978:Glutathione; D012643:Selenium