title: Detection of apoptosis induced by topoisomerase inhibitors and serum deprivation in syrian hamster embryo cells.
abstract: The sensitivity of normal diploid Syrian hamster embryo (SHE) cells to apoptosis was tested after treatment with the topoisomerase inhibitors camptothecin and etoposide and after serum withdrawal. Programmed cell death (PCD) was identified through morphological, biochemical, and molecular changes and compared with that of HL60 cell line. The results showed that topoisomerase inhibitors, which were shown to be potent PCD inducers in the HL60 cell line, induced a weaker apoptotic response in SHE cells than after growth factor deprivation. In addition, serum-free medium, which rapidly induced apoptosis in SHE cells, did not affect the HL60 cell line. In both cell types, PCD was expressed by condensed chromatin, fragmented nuclei, and DNA laddering on electrophoretic gels, an indisputable sign of apoptosis. In apoptotic HL60 cells, the cleavage of 113-kDa poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase (PARP) resulted in the so-called apoptotic 89-kDa fragment and was associated with increased caspase-3 activity. In apoptotic SHE cells, PARP degraded early but the degradation profile was not characterized by the appearance of an 89-kDa fragment. Moreover, no activation of caspase-3 was noted. ZnCl(2), which is known to prevent protease activity responsible for apoptosis features, inhibited PARP cleavage and nuclear modifications induced by apoptotic stimuli in both cell types, but with a higher sensitivity in SHE cells. Apoptosis induced by serum deprivation was linked with c-myc negative regulation in SHE cells, but not with p53 protein accumulation, while topoisomerase inhibitors led to p53 stabilization without any change in c-myc expression. Serum-free medium and topoisomerase inhibitors did not modify c-myc expression in the HL60 cell line. The overall results demonstrated that apoptosis, which is a carefully regulated process of cell death, may proceed through mechanisms varying according to cell type or apoptosis inducer. In addition, markers which are generally considered hallmarks of apoptosis may fail to appear in some cell types.
authors.affiliation: Université de Metz, Centre des Sciences de l'Environnement, Metz Cedex, F-57070, France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alexandre
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rast
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nguyen-Ba
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vasseur
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002166:Camptothecin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002712:Chlorides / Q000494:pharmacology; D006224:Cricetinae; D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005047:Etoposide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015870:Gene Expression; D018922:HL-60 Cells; D006801:Humans; D008647:Mesocricetus / Q000196:embryology; D019384:Nucleic Acid Synthesis Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / Q000235:genetics; D013997:Time Factors; D059004:Topoisomerase I Inhibitors; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000378:metabolism; D017967:Zinc Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D002712:Chlorides; D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D019384:Nucleic Acid Synthesis Inhibitors; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; D059004:Topoisomerase I Inhibitors; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D017967:Zinc Compounds; D005047:Etoposide; C016837:zinc chloride; C505407:CASP3 protein, human; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases; D002166:Camptothecin