title: Arsenite inhibits mitotic division and perturbs spindle dynamics in HeLa S3 cells.
abstract: Arsenical compounds, known to be human carcinogens, were shown to disturb cell cycle progression and induce cytogenetic alterations in a variety of cell systems. We report here that a 24 h treatment of arsenite induced mitotic accumulation in human cell lines. HeLa S3 and KB cells were most susceptible: 35% of the total cell population was arrested at the mitotic stage after treatment with 5 microM sodium arsenite in HeLa S3 cells and after 10 microM in KB cells. Under a microscope, we observed abnormal mitotic figures in arsenite-arrested mitotic cells, including deranged chromosome congression, elongated polar distance of mitotic spindle, and enhanced microtubule immunofluorescence. The spindle microtubules of arsenite-arrested mitotic cells were more resistant to nocodazole-induced dissolution than those of control mitotic cells. According to turbidity assay, arsenite at concentrations below 100 microM significantly enhanced polymerization of tubulins. Since spindle dynamics play a crucial role in mitotic progression, our results suggest that arsenite-induced mitotic arrest may be due to arsenite's effects on attenuation of spindle dynamics.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018053:Arsenites / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002417:Cattle; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D002877:Chromosomes, Human; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D008868:Microtubule Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008941:Spindle Apparatus / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D018053:Arsenites; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D008868:Microtubule Proteins; C015001:arsenite