title: Presence of a peptide component of thymosin fraction-5 manifesting discrete cytostatic properties in HL-60 human promyelocytic leukemia cells.
abstract: Thymosin fraction-5 (TF5), an array of small molecular weight peptides present in crude extracts of the adult bovine thymus, contains numerous constituents with demonstrable biological activity. Because TF5 generally enhances immune reactivity in a variety of settings, and additionally restricts proliferation of certain neoplasms, we examined the effects of TF5 on proliferative capacity in the human promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60. Vital dye-exclusion, oxidative metabolism of chromogenic dyes, and clonogenic growth profiles were monitored to assess rates of cellular proliferation; our results demonstrate that TF5 restricted HL-60 cell growth, an influence that exhibited comparable potency and efficacy among all three indices. This antiproliferative activity was labile, insofar as medium conditioned in HL-60 cells for 24 h became devoid of the initial growth-suppressive activity after 24-h culture when subsequently administered to naive cultures. Review of cytoarchitectural traits, chromatin staining by TUNEL, and fluorescent cytometric analyses demonstrated that TF5 failed to elicit apoptosis, however, suggesting that this material instead drove treated cells into growth arrest and an unanticipated cytostasis. Qualitatively similar responses were noted in the human monoblastic leukemia cell line U937. Partial purification of TF5 by FPLC yielded a component containing an antiproliferative activity associated with the approximately 1000-Da fraction. These results demonstrate that TF5 contains a sub-fraction possessing a growth-suppressive activity capable of restraining normal proliferation of human myeloid neoplasms via the apparent induction of true cytostasis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Nevada-Las Vegas, 4505 Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89154, United States. spangelo@ccmail.nevada.edu
authors.forename: Bryan L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Spangelo
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pompilius
authors.forename: Derald D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Farrimond
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Stevens
authors.forename: Ria
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nieva
authors.forename: Sachin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shroff
authors.forename: Mahnaz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Badamchian
authors.forename: Charlene R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: W David
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Jarvis
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006131:Growth Inhibitors / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018922:HL-60 Cells / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D013947:Thymosin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D006131:Growth Inhibitors; C033782:thymosin fraction 5; D013947:Thymosin