Ultrastructural  aspects of autoschizis: a new cancer cell death induced by the synergistic action of ascorbate/menadione on human bladder carcinoma cells.
Scanning and transmission electron microscopy were employed to further characterize the cytotoxic effects of a ascorbic acid/menadione (or vitamin C/vitamin K3) combination on a human bladder carcinoma T24 cell line. Following 1-h treatment T24 cells display membrane and mitochondrial defects as well as excision of cytoplasmic fragments that contain no organelles. These continuous self-excisions reduce the cell size. Concomitant, nuclear changes, chromatin disassembly, nucleolar condensation and fragmentation, and decreased nuclear volume lead to cell death via a process similar to karyorrhexis and karyolysis. Because this cell death is achieved through a progressive loss of cytoplasm due to self-morsellation, the authors named this mode of cell death autoschizis (from the Greek autos, self, and schizein, to split, as defined in Scanning. 1998; 20: 564-575). This morphological characterization of autoschizic cell death confirms and extends the authors previous reports and demonstrates that this cell death is distinct from apoptosis.
Gilloteaux
J
J
Department of Anatomy, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Pennsylvania 16509-1025, USA. jgilloteaux@lecom.edu
Jamison
J M
JM
Arnold
D
D
Taper
H S
HS
Summers
J L
JL
D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D016923:Cell Death; D004357:Drug Synergism; D006801:Humans; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D024483:Vitamin K 3 / Q000494:pharmacology*
D024483:Vitamin K 3; D001205:Ascorbic Acid