title: Apoptotic mechanisms in T47D and MCF-7 human breast cancer cells.
abstract: To investigate the mechanisms underlying apoptosis in breast cancer cells, staurosporine was used as an apoptotic stimulus in the human breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and T47D. Staurosporine induced dose and time dependent increases in DNA fragmentation which was abrogated by z-VAD-fmk. MCF-7 cells did not express caspase-3, suggesting that DNA fragmentation occurred in the absence of caspase-3 and that other caspases may be involved. Staurosporine induced DEVDase activity in T47D cells suggesting the involvement of caspase-3 and/or caspase-7, yet there was no DEVDase activity in MCF-7 cells, probably ruling out the involvement caspase-7. However, staurosporine induced the cleavage of pro-caspase-6 in MCF-7 cells, but not in T47D cells. Caspase dependent PARP cleavage was detected in MCF-7 cells at 3 h, whereas only partial PARP cleavage was detected in T47D cells and then only after 24 h. Moreover, staurosporine led to cytochrome c release at 2 h in MCF-7 cells and 6 h in T47D cells. In addition, a time dependent and caspase-independent reduction of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential was observed; which appeared to occur after the release of cytochrome c. Translocation of Bax from the cytosol to mitochondria was observed in both cell types, and this preceded cytochrome c release in both T47D and MCF-7 cells. Apoptotic events in both cell types differ temporally, involving activation of different caspases and mitochondrial changes.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Cancer Studies, Division of Genomic Medicine, Medical School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2RX, UK.
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Mooney
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Al-Sakkaf
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: P R M
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Dobson
mesh_terms: D000590:Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism*; D003574:Cytochrome c Group / Q000378:metabolism; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D011065:Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases / Q000378:metabolism; D021381:Protein Transport; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D019311:Staurosporine / Q000494:pharmacology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000378:metabolism*; D050998:bcl-2 Homologous Antagonist-Killer Protein; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D051020:bcl-X Protein
chemical_list: D000590:Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones; C494772:BAK1 protein, human; C494826:BAX protein, human; C494811:BCL2L1 protein, human; D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; D003574:Cytochrome c Group; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D050998:bcl-2 Homologous Antagonist-Killer Protein; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D051020:bcl-X Protein; C096713:benzyloxycarbonylvalyl-alanyl-aspartyl fluoromethyl ketone; D011065:Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases; D020169:Caspases; D019311:Staurosporine