title: Regulation of ornithine decarboxylase and other cell cycle-dependent genes during senescence of IMR-90 human diploid fibroblasts.
abstract: Aging of IMR-90 human diploid fibroblasts in vitro is accompanied by significant changes of polyamine metabolism, most notably, a 5-fold decrease of serum-induced activity of ornithine decarboxylase, the key enzyme in the biosynthesis of polyamines (Chen, K. Y., Chang, Z. F., and Liu, A. Y.-C. (1986) J. Cell. Physiol. 129, 142-146). In this paper, we employed Northern blot hybridization and affinity radiolabeling techniques to investigate the molecular basis of this age-associated change of ornithine decarboxylase activity. Since the induction of ornithine decarboxylase by serum is a mid-G1 event, we also examined expressions of other cell cycle-dependent genes that are induced before and after the mid-G1 phase to determine if their expressions may also be age-dependent. Our results demonstrated a 3-fold decrease of the amount of active ornithine decarboxylase molecules that can be labeled by alpha-difluoromethyl[3H]ornithine in senescent IMR-90 cells (population doubling level (PDL) = 52) as compared to young cells (PDL = 22). However, the levels and kinetics of induction of ornithine decarboxylase mRNA in both young and senescent IMR-90 cells were found to be identical throughout a 24-h time period after serum stimulation. The time course and the magnitude of the expression of c-myc, an early G1 gene, were quite similar in young and senescent IMR-90 cells and appeared to be PDL-independent. In contrast, the expression of thymidine kinase, a late G1/S gene, was significantly reduced in senescent IMR-90 cells. Levels of thymidine kinase mRNA and thymidine kinase activity in senescent IMR-90 cells were 6- and 8-fold less than those in young cells, respectively. Based on these data, we proposed that impairment of cell cycling in senescent IMR-90 cells may occur at the late G1/S phase and that decreases of ornithine decarboxylase activity and putrescine accumulation during cell senescence may contribute to this impairment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick 08903.
authors.forename: Z F
authors.initials: ZF
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: K Y
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D001769:Blood; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival; D004790:Enzyme Induction; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D009955:Ornithine Decarboxylase / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D013937:Thymidine Kinase / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D013937:Thymidine Kinase; D009955:Ornithine Decarboxylase