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Advances in Brief |
Henry Ford Midwest Neuro-Oncology Center and the Departments of Neurosurgery [S. G., S. A. R., T. M.], Neurology [T. M.], and Biostatistics and Research Epidemiology [G. D.], Henry Ford Health Science Center, Detroit, Michigan 48202
| ABSTRACT |
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| Introduction |
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Apoptosis also plays an important role in disease pathology. For example, suppression of apoptosis results in the lack of negative selection of self-reacting T lymphocytes during thymus development, resulting in autoimmune disease (4) . In addition, Bcl-2 was originally identified as a result of the t(14:18) translocation in B-cell follicular lymphoma whereby its juxtaposition with the IgH enhancer leads to dysregulated overexpression. This overexpression inhibits B-cell apoptosis and results in lymphoproliferative disease (5) .
Traditionally, it is believed that cancer develops due to uncontrolled cell proliferation secondary to loss of tumor suppressor genes or gain of oncogenes. Thus, cancer chemotherapy had focused on antiproliferative strategies. Now it is generally recognized that tumor growth occurs when cells lose the normal balance between cell proliferation and apoptosis. We also know that apoptosis contributes to tumor cell death induced by many cancer chemotherapeutic agents (6) ; thus, delineating the biological pathways of candidate anticancer agents is imperative.
Initially developed as a coccidiostatic agent, CAI,3 an inhibitor of receptor-operated calcium channel-mediated calcium influx, was shown to have antiproliferative and anti-invasive functions in several human cancer cell lines, including human glioblastoma cells (7, 8, 9) . Its mechanism of action has been proposed to inhibit calcium-sensitive signal transduction pathways and modulate the production of secondary messengers such as calcium, inositol phosphate, and arachidonic acid (7) . Despite its well-documented cytostatic effect, CAI has not previously been shown to have any cytocidal function. In this report, we demonstrate that CAI induces apoptosis in BAECs and human glioma cells in a dose and time dependent manner.
| Materials and Methods |
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Cell Culture.
BAECs (Clonetics) were a gift from Dr. Steven Brown (Henry Ford
Hospital, Detroit, MI). BAECs and human glioblastoma cell line
U251N (10)
were cultured in MEM (10% FCS and 1%
nonessential amino acids) and DMEM (10% FCS), respectively, at 37°C
with 5% CO2. Cells were cultured to
approximately 50% confluence at 37°C with 5%
CO2 overnight to insure complete attachment of
cells to the culture matrix. The next day, cells were treated with
prewarmed fresh medium, with or without CAI, for the various time
periods indicated in each of the experiments.
Cell Morphological Analysis of Apoptotic Cells with DAPI Staining.
Approximately 2 -3 x 105 cells were plated
onto poly-L-lysine-coated coverslips and cultured overnight
to ensure complete attachment of cells to coverslips. The next day,
cells were changed to fresh medium containing 0, 5, 10, 20, and 40
µM concentrations of CAI for 24 h. After treatment,
cells were washed once in PBS and then fixed in 3.7% paraformaldehyde
in PBS for 30 min at room temperature, followed by two washes in PBS.
Cells were then permeabilized in 1% Triton X-100 in PBS for 3 min and
washed twice in PBS. Cells were stained with the nuclear staining dye
DAPI (10 µg/ml in PBS) for 20 min at room temperature, followed by
two washes in PBS. Cells on coverslips were mounted onto glass slides
in antifade medium and sealed with nail polish. Nuclear staining was
visualized using a Zeiss Axiophot 2 epi-fluorescent microscope (x400
magnification). The number of cells with apoptotic bodies and total
nuclei from three to six high-power fields were counted, and the
percentage of apoptosis was calculated as the mean ± SD.
TUNEL Staining for in Situ DNA Strand Breaks.
Cells were cultured and treated as described above and stained
according to the manufacturers recommendation, except that F-actin
was also stained with Texas Red-conjugated phalloidin (10 units/ml) to
visualize the cytoskeleton. Cells were viewed with either an Axiophot 2
epi-fluorescent microscope (Zeiss) or an Axiovert 100 (Zeiss)
microscope attached to a MRC 1024 krypton/argon laser confocal imaging
system (Bio-Rad). Images were acquired and composed with LaserSharp 2.0
software (Bio-Rad).
DNA Fragmentation by Agarose Gel Electrophoresis.
Approximately 2 x 106 cells were collected
and washed once in PBS. Cell pellets were lysed in 0.5 ml of lysis
buffer [10 mM Tris (pH 7.6) and 0.6% SDS], followed by
the addition of 4.0 M NaCl to a final concentration of 1.0
M, and mixed well. Lysates were centrifuged at 12,000 rpm
for 30 min at 4°C. Supernatants were collected and incubated at
37°C for 60 min in the presence of 50 µg/ml RNase A, followed by a
single phenol-chloroform (v:v, 1:1) extraction. Genomic DNA was
precipitated with 2 volumes of 100% ethanol in the presence of 0.01
M MgCl2 and 25 µg/ml tRNA at
-80°C for at least 2 h. DNA was pelleted by centrifugation at
12,000 rpm for 30 min at 4°C. Pellets were washed twice with 70%
ethanol and then air-dried before being resuspended and stored in 25
µl of TE [10 mM Tris and 1 mM EDTA (pH
8.0)] buffer. The amount of DNA was determined by
A260 nm
value, and its purity was determined by
A260 nm:A280 nm
ratio. All DNA preparations had an
A260 nm:A280 nm
ratio of >1.8. Equal amounts of DNA were loaded onto a 0.8% agarose
gel and electrophoresed in 0.5x TBE buffer [45
mM Tris-borate and 1 mM
EDTA (pH 8.0)] for 16 h at 2 V/cm. DNA fragmentation was
visualized by ethidium bromide (0.5 µg/ml) staining under UV light.
Images were captured using the UVP Video Copy System (Mitsubishi) and
processed using Adobe Photoshop.
Alternatively, 2 x 106 cells were collected and washed in PBS. Cell pellets were suspended in 40 µl of PC buffer ([192 parts of 0.2 M Na2HPO4 (pH 7.4) and 8 parts of 0.1 M citric acid (pH 7.8)] for 30 min at room temperature and then centrifuged at 1000 x g for 5 min (11) . The supernatants were transferred into a new tube, concentrated in a Speed Vac just until they were dry, resuspended in 0.25% NP40 (3 µl) and 1 mg/ml RNase A (3 µl), and incubated at 37°C for 30 min. After the addition of 1 mg/ml proteinase K (3 µl), the samples were incubated for 30 min at 37°C, followed by the addition of 12 µl of loading buffer (0.25% bromphenol blue and 30% glycerol). Total contents of the tubes were loaded onto a 0.8% agarose gel in 0.5x TBE buffer and electrophoresed for 16 h at 2 V/cm.
Flow Cytometry Analysis for Sub-G0-G1 DNA
Content.
Cells (2 x 106) were treated and collected
as described above and fixed in 3 ml of ice-cold 70% ethanol for 30
min on ice. Ethanol was removed by centrifugation at 450 x
g for 5 min. Cell pellets were washed twice in PBS
containing 1% bovine serum and then incubated with 3 ml of PC buffer
for 1015 min on ice. Cells were pelleted, washed once in PBS
containing 1% bovine serum, and then incubated in 1 ml of PI-RNase (25
µg/ml PI, 0.5 mg/ml RNase A in PBS) solution for 30 min at room
temperature. Samples were analyzed using a Coulter Epics XL/XL-MCL flow
cytometer. Apoptotic cells with DNA contents less than the
G1-G0 content appeared as
the sub-G0-G1 peak on the
DNA histogram (25,000 events were counted). The percentage of apoptosis
reflects the percentage of total cells that were in
sub-G0-G1.
Statistical Analysis.
Multiple linear regression analysis was used to model the percentage of
cells that were apoptotic. The CAI concentration, time, and the product
of CAI concentration and time were used as predictor variables. Linear
correlation coefficients and Ps from the regression models
were computed.
| Results |
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CAI-induced DNA Fragmentation in BAECs Is Dose and Time Dependent.
To determine whether CAI induces apoptotic DNA fragmentation, another
hallmark of apoptosis, total genomic DNA was isolated from CAI-treated
BAECs and resolved by agarose gel electrophoresis (see Fig. 2A).
CAI induced DNA
fragmentation at concentrations of 20 and 40
µM. To further characterize the dose- and
time-dependent responses of CAI-induced apoptosis, we treated BAECs
with 0, 20, and 40 µM CAI for 1, 2, and 5 days.
After 1 day and 2 days of treatment, DNA fragmentation was present in
the 40 µM CAI-treated groups, but not in the 20
µM CAI-treated groups. However, when the
treatment was prolonged to 5 days, both 20 µM
CAI- and 40 µM CAI-treated BAECs underwent
apoptosis by this criterion (Fig. 2B).
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CAI-induced DNA Fragmentation in U251N Glioma Cells Is Dose and
Time Dependent.
To determine whether CAI also induces DNA fragmentation in a human
glioma cell line, U251N cells were treated with CAI (Fig. 3, A and B)
as
described previously for BAECs. Fig. 3A
demonstrates the
dose-dependent response of U251N cells to CAI treatment. At a
concentration of 40 µM, CAI induced DNA
fragmentation. No apparent DNA fragmentation was observed in cells
treated with CAI concentrations lower than 20
µM.
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Quantitative analysis of apoptosis in the U251N cells was evaluated
with flow cytometry (Fig. 3C)
and showed dose- and
time-dependent patterns similar to those demonstrated by the DNA
fragmentation gels. At 40 µM concentration,
18.7%, 36.8%, and 48.4% of U251N cells underwent apoptosis after 1,
2, and 5 days treatment with CAI, respectively. For the group treated
with 20 µM CAI, there was a less prominent but
time-dependent response (6%, 9.9%, and 21.8% apoptosis at days 1, 2,
and 5, respectively). Statistically, there was a significant
(P = 0.044) interaction between time and concentration
of CAI, suggesting that the relationship between CAI and apoptosis
differs by day. In particular, CAI was significantly (P = 0.05) related to apoptosis at day 5 only, and not at day 2
(P = 0.21) or day 1 (P = 0.21). Also,
there was a significant day effect at CAI concentrations of 20
µM (P = 0.002).
| Discussion |
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20 µM, induces apoptosis
in BAECs and U251N, a human glioma cell line. This apoptotic effect is
both dose and time dependent, as demonstrated by morphological and
biochemical parameters. Thus, in addition to its cytostatic effect as
reported by others, CAI may also exert a cytotoxic effect via induction
of apoptosis in both vascular endothelial cells and tumor cells. During the process of apoptosis, cells undergo serial structural and molecular changes. These include the plasma membrane blebbing, nuclear chromatin condensation, apoptotic body formation, and cleavage of genomic DNA into high molecular weight (300 and 50 kb) DNA or 150200-bp nucleosomal DNA (15) . Therefore, to fully evaluate CAI-induced apoptosis, we used several detection methods: (a) cell morphology and DAPI nuclear staining to illustrate chromatin condensation and apoptotic body formation; (b) TUNEL to demonstrate DNA strand breaks; (c) gel electrophoresis to illustrate DNA fragmentation; and (d) flow cytometry to assess the sub-G0-G1 fraction of DNA content. We observed apoptosis using all of these analyses. Therefore, by four independent methods, our data support the conclusion that CAI induces apoptosis in BAECs and tumor cells.
In our current report, we demonstrate that CAI induces apoptosis in both BAECs and human glioma cells in both a dose- and time-dependent manner. The 40-µM concentration of CAI induced apoptosis within 24 h after treatment, with increasing levels observed at days 2 and 5. However, the 20-µM concentration of CAI did not induce apoptosis until 5 days after treatment. This is significant in that it implies that relatively low doses of CAI can achieve the cytocidal effects observed with high doses of CAI by prolonging the treatment. In clinical settings, doses of CAI are limited by adverse side effects, but achievable concentrations of CAI for more prolonged periods may provide adequate doses for effect. The observation that CAI induces apoptosis in proliferating endothelial cells as effectively as in tumor cells suggests that it may be equally effective as an antiangiogenic and antitumor agent.
The antiproliferative and anti-invasive effects of CAI have been well documented (7, 8, 9 , 13 , 14) . In this study, we used concentrations of CAI that were previously shown to negatively effect tumor cell proliferation and invasion. The CAI concentrations that demonstrate apoptosis were those that produced the maximum antiproliferative and anti-invasive effects (20 and 40 µM). Concentrations below 10 µM did not induce apoptosis, although these concentrations did affect both proliferation and invasion. These results support the reported data that CAI concentrations above 10 µM are cytotoxic (14) , and our data further demonstrate that the cytotoxicity is mediated by apoptosis.
As a key process in signal transduction pathways, calcium influx has been reported both to induce and protect cells from apoptosis, depending on the cell type and experimental systems (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20) . Although the mechanism of calcium-induced apoptosis remains elusive, it has been reported that calcium influx directly activates calcium-dependent protease calpain and caspase as well (19 , 20) . Furthermore, specific calpain or caspase inhibitors block this type of apoptosis. In contrast, blocking of calcium influx also induces apoptosis in certain cell types, including neuronal cells (17) and hematopoietic cells (18) .
The mechanism of action of CAI by inhibiting non-voltage-gated calcium uptake and the downstream calcium-sensitive signal transduction pathways is important in cancer cell growth and invasion. These signaling pathways include the release of arachidonic acid and its metabolites, the generation of inositol phosphates, and tyrosine phosphorylation (7 , 13 , 14) . Our data do not permit us to define the pathway(s) involved with CAI-induced apoptosis. As an end-stage process, DNA fragmentation has been used extensively for the detection of apoptosis. DNA fragmentation factor is responsible for the cleavage of genomic DNA (21) . In our study, DNA fragmentation was detected by all means used. Therefore, it is reasonable to speculate that DNA fragmentation factor activation is involved in CAI-induced apoptosis. Although CAI-mediated effects in migration and proliferation are a result of calcium influx inhibition (8 , 9 , 14) , additional studies are required to determine whether a similar mechanisms or other mechanisms are involved in CAI-induced apoptosis. Our ongoing investigations are focused on elucidating the mechanisms involved.
| ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
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| FOOTNOTES |
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1 Supported in part by NIH Grant NS35265 (to
T. M.). ![]()
2 To whom requests for reprints should be
addressed, at Department of Neurosurgery, Henry Ford Hospital, 2799
West Grand Boulevard, Detroit, MI 48202. Phone: (313) 916-7295; Fax:
(313) 916-9855; E-mail: nssgg{at}neuro.hfh.edu ![]()
3 The abbreviations used are: CAI,
carboxyamido-triazole; BAEC, bovine aortic endothelial cell; TUNEL,
terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick end labeling; DAPI,
4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole; PI, propidium iodide. ![]()
Received 12/ 8/99; revised 1/13/00; accepted 1/17/00.
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