title: Regulation of radiation-induced apoptosis in oncogene-transfected fibroblasts: influence of H-ras on the G2 delay.
abstract: Primary fibroblasts, after serum withdrawal or after irradiation, do not undergo apoptosis. Myc-transfected fibroblasts, in contrast, undergo apoptosis upon serum withdrawal and after irradiation. We have studied the relationship of apoptosis induction to effects on the G2 phase cell cycle in a series of rat embryo cells transformed by rasH plus myc or immortalized by myc alone. In this system, while the presence of rasH had little effect on the extent of apoptosis induction by serum withdrawal, rasH greatly suppressed the apoptotic response of myc-transfected cells to X-rays. The cells into which rasH had been introduced showed a profound G2 arrest associated with suppression of cyclin B1 mRNA expression. In contrast, cells with myc alone had a minimal G2 delay after irradiation and no suppression of cyclin B1 mRNA expression. We hypothesize that rasH, by influencing the G2 response of cells to X-rays, exerts an anti-apoptotic effect. In support of this hypothesis; we found that treatment of cells with caffeine, an agent that relieves the G2 delay after irradiation resulted in increased apoptosis in the irradiated cells, but not in control cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104, USA.
authors.forename: W G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: McKenna
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Bernhard
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Markiewicz
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Rudoltz
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maity
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Muschel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000528:radiation effects*; D002110:Caffeine / Q000494:pharmacology; D002460:Cell Line; D019926:Cyclin B; D056744:Cyclin B1; D016213:Cyclins / Q000235:genetics; D004249:DNA Damage; D005347:Fibroblasts; D016195:G2 Phase / Q000528:radiation effects*; D011905:Genes, ras / Q000502:physiology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D014162:Transfection; D014965:X-Rays
chemical_list: C534701:Ccnb1 protein, rat; D019926:Cyclin B; D056744:Cyclin B1; D016213:Cyclins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D002110:Caffeine