DNA fragmentation occurs in skeletal muscle during tumor growth: A link with cancer cachexia?
In two different experimental models of cancer cachexia, the rat Yoshida AH-130 ascites hepatoma and the mouse Lewis lung carcinoma, the implantation of the tumor caused a loss of body weight which was associated with a reduction in the weight of different skeletal muscles, as well as with their protein content. The decrease in protein content was accompanied by a reduction in DNA content. Interestingly, the protein/DNA ratio was unchanged in the skeletal muscle of the tumor-bearing animals as compared with the non-tumor-bearing controls. Analysis of DNA fragmentation in skeletal muscle clearly showed enhanced laddering in the skeletal muscle of tumor-bearing animals, suggesting an apoptotic phenomenon. Interestingly, the degree of laddering (total DNA fragmented) increased with tumor burden. These results suggest that DNA fragmentation may be a primary event in cancer-associated cachexia.
van Royen
M
M
Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Carbó
N
N
Busquets
S
S
Alvarez
B
B
Quinn
L S
LS
López-Soriano
F J
FJ
Argilés
J M
JM
D000818:Animals; D002100:Cachexia / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism; D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar