title: NaCN-induced chemical hypoxia is associated with altered gene expression.
abstract: Sodium cyanide (NaCN)-induced chemical hypoxia is known to increase intracellular free calcium concentration and reduce cell survival, but its effect on gene expression has not been studied. In this study, we designed primers to conduct a rapid and reliable assay for the expression of mRNA of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOs), tumor suppressor protein p53, Bcl-2, heat shock protein 70 (HSP-70), and beta-actin in human intestinal epithelial T84 cells and Jurkat T cells. NaCN-induced chemical hypoxia increased iNOs and HSP-70 mRNA in both types of cells, whereas p53 and Bcl-2 mRNA were singularly induced in T84 cells and Jurkat T cells, respectively. In both cell types, treatment of hypoxic cells with a reversible selective iNOs inhibitor, Now-nitro-L-arginine (LNNA), blocked iNOs, Bcl-2, and HSP-70 mRNA, but increased p53. The NaCN-induced hypoxia was also found to increase caspase-3 cellular activity in both cell types. Treatment with LNNA alone decreased the basal caspase-3 cellular activity. A prior treatment of LNNA significantly inhibited the NaCN-induced increase in the cellular activity of this apoptotic enzyme. This is the first report to show that NaCN-induced chemical hypoxia alters both stress-related gene expression and caspase-3 cellular activity and can be regulated by the iNOs inhibitor LNNA. Since NaCN has been included in the 'National chemical terrorism threat' list, by the US Department of Defense, our studies provide useful insight in the development of molecular sensors to detect early exposure to this chemical terrorism threat.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular Injury, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910-7500, USA. Juliann.Kiang@na.amedd.army.mil
authors.forename: Juliann G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Kiang
authors.forename: Vishal G
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Warke
authors.forename: George C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Tsokos
mesh_terms: D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000494:pharmacology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia; D019169:Jurkat Cells; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012966:Sodium Cyanide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; C505407:CASP3 protein, human; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases; D012966:Sodium Cyanide; D002118:Calcium