title: Enucleation: a possible mechanism of cancer cell death.
abstract: There are few major morphologies of cell death that have been described so far: apoptosis (type I), cell death associated with autophagy (type II), necrosis (type III) and anchorage-dependent mechanisms-anoikis. Here, we show for the first time a possibly novel mechanism inducing tumour cell death under in vitro conditions-enucleation. We pursued the influence of colloidal suspensions of Fe3 O4 nanoparticles on tumour cell lines (SK-BR-3 and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines) grown according to standard cell culture protocols. Magnetite nanoparticles were prepared by combustion synthesis and double layer coated with oleic acid. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy revealed that tumour cells developed a network of intracytoplasmic stress fibres, which induce extrusion of nuclei, and enucleated cells die. Normal adult mesenchymal stem cells, used as control, did not exhibit the same behaviour. Intact nuclei were found in culture supernatant of tumour cells, and were visualized by immunofluorescence. Enucleation as a potential mechanism of tumour cell death might open new horizons in cancer biology research and development of therapeutic agents capable of exploiting this behaviour.
authors.affiliation: Department of Functional Sciences, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes" Timisoara, Timisoara, Romania; Center for Transplant Immunology, Clinical Emergency County Hospital Timisoara, Timisoara, Romania.
authors.forename: Virgil
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Paunescu
authors.forename: Florina M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Bojin
authors.forename: Oana I
authors.initials: OI
authors.lastname: Gavriliuc
authors.forename: Elena A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Taculescu
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ianos
authors.forename: Valentin L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Ordodi
authors.forename: Vlad F
authors.initials: VF
authors.lastname: Iman
authors.forename: Calin A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Tatu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D016923:Cell Death; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D005290:Ferric Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D005290:Ferric Compounds; C000499:ferric oxide
keywords: Fe3O4 nanoparticles; cancer cell death; cell enucleation; tumour cells