Heterogeneous susceptibility to spontaneous and induced apoptosis characterizes two related transplantable melanomas with different biological properties.
A family of phenotypically and biologically different transplantable hamster melanomas was derived from a single tumor more than 40 yr ago. In this work, we were seeking the differences between the abilities of the cells from two biologically heterogeneous (melanotic and amelanotic) members of this family to undergo spontaneous or camptothecin-induced apoptosis. We studied these differences by looking at three important features of the apoptotic process, i.e. binding of annexin V, DNA fragmentation and caspase-3 activity. Of these, annexin binding and DNA fragmentation were more pronounced in the parental, melanotic line while the activity of caspase-3 was stronger in the amelanotic tumor cells. We concluded that a spontaneous alteration of the original, melanotic melanoma line into an amelanotic one, associated with more aggressive tumor progression, was accompanied by significant decrease in ability to undergo spontaneous and camptothecin-induced apoptosis, and that apoptosis of these two cell types may not depend on the activity of caspase-3.
Kozłowska
Krystyna
K
Department of Embryology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland. cecylia@amedec.amg.gda.pl
Cichorek
Mirosława
M
Zarzeczna
Małgorzata
M
Brozek
Jacek
J
Witkowski
Jacek M
JM
D000818:Animals; D017304:Annexin A5 / Q000378:metabolism; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000494:pharmacology; D017209:Apoptosis; D002166:Camptothecin / Q000494:pharmacology; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006224:Cricetinae; D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D019169:Jurkat Cells; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D008647:Mesocricetus; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D017304:Annexin A5; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; C505407:CASP3 protein, human; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases; D002166:Camptothecin