title: Identification of genes responsive to intracellular zinc depletion in the human colon adenocarcinoma cell line HT-29.
abstract: Zinc is essential for the structural and functional integrity of cells and plays a pivotal role in the control of gene expression. To identify genes with altered mRNA expression level after zinc depletion, we employed oligonucleotide arrays with approximately 10,000 targets and used the human colon adenocarcinoma epithelial cell line HT-29 as a model. A low intracellular zinc concentration caused alterations in the steady-state mRNA levels of 309 genes at a threshold factor of 2.0. Northern blot analysis and/or real-time RT-PCR confirmed the array results for 12 of 14 selected targets. Genes identified as regulated based on microarray data encode mainly proteins involved in central pathways of intermediary metabolism (79 genes) including protein metabolism (21). We also identified five groups of genes important for basic cellular functions such as signaling (30), cell cycle control and growth (15), vesicular trafficking (15), cell-cell interaction (13), cytoskeleton (10) and transcription control (19). The latter group comprises several zinc finger-containing transcription factors of which the Kruppel-like factor 4 showed the most pronounced changes. Western blot analysis confirmed the increased expression level of this protein in cells grown under low zinc conditions. Our findings in a homogeneous cell population demonstrate that the molecular mechanisms by which cellular functions are altered at a low zinc status, occur via pleiotropic effects on gene expression. In conclusion, the pattern of zinc-affected genes may represent a reference for further studies to define the zinc regulon in mammalian cells.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Nutrition Unit, Technical University of Munich, D-85350 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany.
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kindermann
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Döring
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pfaffl
authors.forename: Hannelore
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Daniel
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma; D017209:Apoptosis; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002455:Cell Division; D002614:Chelating Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000737:chemistry; D005029:Ethylenediamines / Q000494:pharmacology; D015870:Gene Expression; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000737:chemistry*; D000090062:Kruppel-Like Factor 4; D051741:Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors; D008668:Metallothionein / Q000235:genetics; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D015032:Zinc / Q000032:analysis / Q000172:deficiency / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D002614:Chelating Agents; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005029:Ethylenediamines; C000715467:KLF4 protein, human; D000090062:Kruppel-Like Factor 4; D051741:Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014157:Transcription Factors; D008668:Metallothionein; D015032:Zinc; C044387:N,N,N',N'-tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine