title: Exposure to modeled microgravity induces metabolic idleness in malignant human MCF-7 and normal murine VSMC cells.
abstract: We investigated the effect of modeled microgravity (MMG) on normal vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) and neoplastic human breast cancer cells (MCF-7). In both cell types, MMG induced partial arrest in G2M and increased p14-3-3, HSP70, HSP60 and p21 expression. Cells synchronized by 24h starvation reentered the normal cycle within 24h if released in complete medium and exposed to normal gravity, but not if exposed to MMG. Similarly, MMG prevented VSMC and MCF-7 cells from overcoming growth arrest and re-synthesizing DNA. This study shows that cells adjust their metabolic rate in response to MMG.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Patologia e Biologia Cellulare e Molecolare/IEOS CNR, Università di Napoli Federico II, Via S. Pansini, 5, I-80131 Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Coinu
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chiaviello
authors.forename: Grazia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Galleri
authors.forename: Flavia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Franconi
authors.forename: Elvira
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Crescenzi
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Palumbo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002455:Cell Division; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D014893:Weightlessness