Polyamine depletion with two different polyamine analogues causes DNA damage in human breast cancer cell lines.
It is well known that the positively charged polyamines have a DNA-stabilizing function and that polyamine depletion alters chromatin function. We have previously shown that polyamine depletion causes an S phase prolongation, and others have shown that there is an accumulation of Okazaki-like fragments in polyamine-depleted cells. In the present study, we have used the comet assay to investigate polyamine depletion-induced DNA strand breaks. Three breast cancer cell lines and one normal-like breast cell line were treated with the polyamine analogue N(1),N(11)-diethylnorspermine or with the polyamine biosynthesis inhibitor 4-amidinoindan-1-one 2'-amidinohydrazone (CGP 48664). The comet assay showed that polyamine depletion resulted in DNA strand breaks. We also show that these DNA strand breaks occurred in cells where there was no expression of gamma-H2AX, which is a marker of DNA double-strand breaks. Thus, our conclusion is that polyamine depletion causes DNA single-strand breaks, which may be the cause for the observed delay in S phase progression.
Department of Cell and Organism Biology, Animal Physiology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. veronica.johansson@cob.lu.se
Veronica M
VM
Johansson
Stina M
SM
Oredsson
Kersti
K
Alm
D000578:Amidines / Q000494:pharmacology; D002453:Cell Cycle; D002460:Cell Line; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D020552:Comet Assay; D004249:DNA Damage / Q000187:drug effects*; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007189:Indans / Q000494:pharmacology; D011073:Polyamines / Q000378:metabolism*; D013096:Spermine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology
D000578:Amidines; C468783:H2AX protein, human; D006657:Histones; D007189:Indans; D011073:Polyamines; C059685:N(1),N(11)-diethylnorspermine; C082408:4-amidinoindan-1-one 2'-amidinohydrazone; D013096:Spermine