Electric field pulses can induce apoptosis.
Injection of electric field pulses of high intensity (kV/cm) and short duration (microsecond range) into a cell suspension results in a temporary increase of the membrane permeability due to a reversible electric breakdown of the cell membrane. Here we demonstrate that application of supercritical field pulses between 4. 5 and 8.1 kV/cm strength and 40 microsec duration induce typical features of apoptosis in Jurkat T-lymphoblasts and in HL-60 cells including DNA fragmentation and cleavage of the poly(ADP ribose) polymerase. Apoptosis induction did not depend on the presence of any particular electrolyte in the extracellular medium. However, no apoptosis was observed in solutions without a minimum amount of salt. Apoptotic DNA fragmentation was prevented by the caspase inhibitor zVAD.
Hofmann
F
F
Lehrstuhl für Biotechnologie, Biozentrum, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany.
Ohnimus
H
H
Scheller
C
C
Strupp
W
W
Zimmermann
U
U
Jassoy
C
C
D017209:Apoptosis; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D003470:Culture Media; D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D018274:Electroporation; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D018922:HL-60 Cells; D006801:Humans; D007477:Ions; D019169:Jurkat Cells
D003470:Culture Media; D007477:Ions; D020169:Caspases