title: WT1 downregulation during K562 cell differentiation and apoptosis induced by bufalin.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the change of WT1 gene expression during human leukemic K562 cell differentiation and apoptosis induced by bufalin.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cell viability was determined by trypan blue exclusion, cell differentiation and apoptosis by nitro blue tetrazolium (NBT) reduction test, morphology and flow cytometry, expression of WT1 protein by Western blot analysis, and expression of WT1 mRNA by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  (1) The cell proliferation was inhibited by bufalin and the IC(50) at 24, 48, 72 h were 0.026, 0.032 and 0.006 micro mol/L, respectively. (2) Bufalin induced K562 cell differentiation towards macrophage/monocyte within concentration from 0.01 to 0.05 micro mol/L and apoptosis at higher than 0.026 micro mol/L. (3) The expression of WT1 protein and mRNA were downregulated by bufalin in the initial stage of differentiation and apoptosis induced by bufalin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  K562 cell differentiation and apoptosis induced by bufalin might relate to the downregulation of WT1 expression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China.
authors.forename: Yunpeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xiujuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.forename: Pingping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Shizhou
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xianglan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D015536:Down-Regulation; D006801:Humans; D025721:WT1 Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D025721:WT1 Proteins