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.
Gamaley
Irina
I
Laboratory of Cell Cycle Physiology, Institute of Cytology, RAS, Tykhoretsky Avenue, 4, 194064 St. Petersburg, Russia. igamaley@mail.cytspb.rssi.ru
Efremova
Tatiana
T
Kirpichnikova
Ksenia
K
Kever
Ludmila
L
Komissarchik
Yan
Y
Polozov
Yuri
Y
Khaitlina
Sofia
S
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