title: Prevention of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-mediated induction of p21WAF1/CIP1 sensitizes MCF-7 carcinoma cells to TNF-induced apoptosis.
abstract: The MCF-7 breast carcinoma and MRC-5 lung fibroblast cell lines are sensitive and resistant to tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-induced apoptosis, respectively. As the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21WAF1/CIP1 (p21) is involved in cell cycle regulation and has been implicated in apoptosis, we studied the influence of p21 on growth of MRC-5 cells and on growth and apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. TNF induced p21 mRNA and protein in both cell types. p21 induction by > 0.5 ng/ml TNF in MRC-5 and MCF-7 cells correlated with the inhibition of cell growth. In contrast, < 0.1 ng/ml TNF stimulated MRC-5 (but not MCF-7) cell growth without reduction in p21 levels. TNF-induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells was first detected after the TNF-mediated increase in p21 and growth arrest had occurred. MCF-7 cells stably transfected with antisense p21 cDNA became more sensitive to TNF-induced apoptosis. Thus, TNF-induced p21 accompanied by growth arrest may counteract or delay TNF cytotoxicity in MCF-7 cells.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, National University of Singapore, Republic of Singapore.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Porter
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D050759:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21; D016213:Cyclins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005260:Female; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C493956:CDKN1A protein, human; D050759:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21; D016213:Cyclins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha