title: Apoptosis: mode of cell death induced in T cell leukemia lines by dexamethasone and other agents.
abstract: Glucocorticoids can mediate the destruction of thymocytes and T cell-derived leukemia cells through a mechanism known as apoptosis. The characteristic feature of apoptosis is fragmentation of DNA at internucleosomal linkers through the activity of a specific endonuclease. In this study, an attempt was made to compare dexamethasone-induced apoptosis in two T cell-derived human leukemia lines (CEM-C1 and CEM-C7) to the cell killing brought about by selected cytotoxic agents. In the CEM-C7 cell line (dexamethasone-sensitive), apoptosis was induced not only by dexamethasone but by actinomycin D, cycloheximide, and 25-OH cholesterol. In the CEM-C1 cell line (dexamethasone-resistant) cycloheximide, 25-OH cholesterol, or cell starvation could induce apoptosis. It appears that in leukemic cells apoptosis may be induced by a variety of unrelated toxic agents and is not limited to glucocorticoids.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Kansas City, Missouri 64128.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bansal
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Houle
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Melnykovych
mesh_terms: D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival; D003513:Cycloheximide / Q000494:pharmacology; D004249:DNA Damage; D003609:Dactinomycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D003851:Deoxyribonucleases / Q000378:metabolism; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D006888:Hydroxycholesterols / Q000494:pharmacology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D015458:Leukemia, T-Cell / Q000473:pathology*; D008148:Lovastatin / Q000494:pharmacology; D008798:Mevalonic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D015735:Mifepristone / Q000494:pharmacology; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D006888:Hydroxycholesterols; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D003609:Dactinomycin; D015735:Mifepristone; C015367:mevalonolactone; C007997:25-hydroxycholesterol; D003907:Dexamethasone; D003513:Cycloheximide; D008148:Lovastatin; D003851:Deoxyribonucleases; D008798:Mevalonic Acid