title: Molecular mechanism of enhanced apoptotic response in U937 cells mediated by sodium butyrate.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the effects of sodium butyrate (NaBu) on cell cycle checkpoint and the apoptosis sensitivity in U937 cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two mutant U937 cell lines, U937-ASPI3K (ATM negative) and U937-pZeosv2(+) (ATM wild-type), were used as the cell model system. Immunoprecipitation and kinase assay were used to examine the p38 MAPK and ERK1 kinase activities. Western blot was used to analyze the phosphorylation of Bad protein.
  
  
  RESULTS
  U937-pZeosv2(+) pretreated with NaBu exhibited enhanced apoptotic response in a NaBu dose dependent fashion upon (137)Cs irradiation, which could be abolished by olomoucine (OLM), a p38 MAPK specific inhibitor. On the other hand, Cyclin dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) specific inhibitor CDK2-I and p34cdc2/cyclinB inhibitor alsterpaullone (ALP) failed to block the effects of NaBu. Similar results were also observed in U937-ASPI3K. The effect of irradiation on p38 MAPK and ERK1 was strikingly potentiated by NaBu. Furthermore, inactivation of irradiated Bad protein via phosphorylation on serine 136 was also enhanced.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NaBu is able to enhance the apoptotic response in U937 cells, which is mediated by p38 MAPK activation but not ATM status.
authors.affiliation: Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
authors.forename: Jianfeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Wenli
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hanying
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Junbo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Jianping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gong
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis; D002087:Butyrates / Q000494:pharmacology; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D020298:U937 Cells; D051025:bcl-Associated Death Protein; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
chemical_list: C494819:BAD protein, human; D002087:Butyrates; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051025:bcl-Associated Death Protein; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases