N-acetylcysteine-induced changes in susceptibility of transformed eukaryotic cells to bacterial invasion.
The effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on morphological and physiological properties of "normal" 3T3 and 3T3-SV40 fibroblasts was studied. Incubation of the cells with 10 and 20 mM NAC for 20 h resulted in a reversible increase in the intracellular level of reduced glutathione and disorganization of actin cytoskeleton. Surprisingly, upon removal of NAC, 3T3-SV40 fibroblasts demonstrated formation of well-adhered cells with structured 3T3-like stress-fibers. Neither changes in glutathione levels, nor cytoskeleton disorganization/assembly abolished resistance of 3T3 cells to invasion by the bacterium Escherichia coli A2. On the other hand, pretreatment with NAC converted bacteria-susceptible 3T3-SV40 cells into resistant ones. These results show that NAC can induce partial reversion of transformed phenotype. We suggest that this effect is due to NAC-induced modifications of cell surface proteins rather than to changes in the level of intracellular glutathione.
Laboratory of Cell Cycle Physiology, Institute of Cytology, RAS, Tykhoretsky Avenue, 4, 194064 St. Petersburg, Russia. igamaley@mail.cytspb.rssi.ru
Irina
I
Gamaley
Tatiana
T
Efremova
Ksenia
K
Kirpichnikova
Ludmila
L
Kever
Yan
Y
Komissarchik
Yuri
Y
Polozov
Sofia
S
Khaitlina
D016475:3T3 Cells; D000111:Acetylcysteine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005057:Eukaryotic Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice
D005978:Glutathione; D000111:Acetylcysteine