title: Expression of sperm-specific protamines impairs bacterial and eukaryotic cell proliferation.
abstract: Protamines are the predominant nuclear proteins in testicular spermatids and ejaculated spermatozoa. During spermiogenesis, protamine-DNA interaction induces a higher-order chromatin packaging which finally results in a complete transcriptional stop in elongating spermatids. Although numerous studies investigated the role of protamines in male fertility, to date, no study is available that investigates protamine function, particularly transcriptional silencing, in non-germ cells. Transcriptional stop due to the high binding affinity of arginine-rich protamines to the negatively charged DNA backbone, however, may be induced in somatic cells and may result in suppressing cell division in tumor cells. In the present study, we therefore analyzed whether a protamine-mediated chromatin condensation in somatic cancer cell lines can stop gene expression and arrest cancer cell proliferation. In contrast to terminally differentiated sperm, cancer cells represent immortalized cells that have modulated natural mechanisms for the regulation of apoptosis and cell proliferation. We expressed human protamines in two fast-growing cell systems, E. coli and HeLa cells. In both cases, protamine expression significantly attenuated cell proliferation when compared with control cells. To our knowledge, this is the first study that demonstrates a stop of cell proliferation in both E. coli and HeLa cells by protamine expression. Follow-up studies on the molecular effect of protamines on proliferative cells may, in the future, open new avenues to investigate effective and specific treatments of cancer cells.
authors: Biomedical Research Center, Molecular Andrology, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Schubert str. 81, 35392, Giessen, Germany.
authors: Katharina
authors: K
authors: Günther
authors: Agnieszka
authors: A
authors: Paradowska-Dogan
authors: Birte
authors: B
authors: Bärmann
authors: Harald
authors: H
authors: Klein
authors: Christoph
authors: C
authors: von Eichel-Streiber
authors: Ricardo
authors: R
authors: Hartley
authors: Wolfgang
authors: W
authors: Weidner
authors: Rüdiger
authors: R
authors: Behr
authors: Klaus
authors: K
authors: Steger
mesh_terms: D049109:Cell Proliferation; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000166:cytology* / Q000254:growth & development; D005057:Eukaryotic Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D011479:Protamines / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: C082073:PRM1 protein, human; D011479:Protamines; C068621:protamine 2
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