Cellular aggregation facilitates anoikis in MDCK cells.
Anoikis is a specific type of apoptosis caused by the detachment of anchorage-dependent cells from their supportive matrix. Aggregation of suspended cells is believed to suppress anoikis. Here we describe the effects of cellular aggregation on anoikis in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. Suspension cultures of MDCK cells grown under conditions known to induce extensive cellular aggregation were less able to reattach to culture dishes, exhibited higher caspase-8 activity, and contained more sub-G(1) cells than suspension cultures did with less cellular aggregation. When suspension cultures of MDCK cells were separated into aggregated cells and single cells, the aggregated cells had low caspase-8 activity regardless of suspension conditions, whereas the single cells had higher caspase-8 activity that increased with an increasing degree of aggregation. These results suggest that cell-cell interactions in cellular aggregates of suspended MDCK cells facilitate anoikis, causing more apoptosis in individual cells than when these interactions are absent.
Emoto
Yumiko
Y
Department of Biology, Graduate School of Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 812-8581 Japan. yemotscb@kyudai.jp
D000818:Animals; D023102:Anoikis; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D053181:Caspase 8 / Q000378:metabolism; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002449:Cell Aggregation; D002450:Cell Communication; D002453:Cell Cycle; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival; D004285:Dogs; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000378:metabolism; D007668:Kidney / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology*; D008747:Methylcellulose / Q000737:chemistry; D013997:Time Factors
D008747:Methylcellulose; D053181:Caspase 8; D002118:Calcium