title: Long-term morphine treatment increases Ku protein DNA end-binding activity.
abstract: Human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y and small-cell lung carcinoma U1690 cells of neuroendocrine origin were exposed to morphine for 1 h, 3 h or 5 days. These treatments did not alter activities of AP-1, NF-kappa B and YY1 transcription factors in SH-SY5Y cells or NF-kappa B and YY1 in U1690 cells. Five-day morphine treatment, however, caused a twofold increase in the activity of a sequence-non-specific, spermidine-activated DNA-binding factor in U1690 cells. The morphine effect was prevented by the antagonist naloxone. The DNA-binding factor bound preferentially to double-stranded DNA ends. This fact and data on subunit composition, molecular masses of subunits, and supershift/inhibition by specific antibodies in a band shift assay, show the spermidine-activated factor to be identical with the Ku protein, the DNA-binding subunit of DNA-dependent protein kinase. The effect observed may be one of the mechanisms through which opioids influence gene regulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bakalkin
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yakovleva
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Melzig
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Terenius
mesh_terms: D034961:Antigens, Nuclear; D004265:DNA Helicases; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D000072200:Ku Autoantigen; D009020:Morphine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000187:drug effects*; D013095:Spermidine / Q000494:pharmacology; D013997:Time Factors; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D034961:Antigens, Nuclear; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D009020:Morphine; D004265:DNA Helicases; C106893:XRCC5 protein, human; C000606509:Xrcc6 protein, human; D000072200:Ku Autoantigen; D013095:Spermidine