Early response of neural stem/progenitor cells after X-ray irradiation in vitro

We investigated the effect of oxidative stress on cell cycle regulation of neural stem/progenitor cells in neurosphere culture. We exposed murine neural stem/progenitor cells to 2 Gy of X-ray irradiation at 48 h after first passage. We found that G2 and G1-arrested cells increased at 3 and 12 h after X-ray irradiation, respectively by using laser scanning cytometer. We revealed that such G2 and G1 arrests were correlated with phosphorylation of cdc2 and p53, respectively by Western blotting analysis. Furthermore, we found that the effects of X-ray irradiation of neural stem/progenitor cells involved inactivation of Notch signal. These results suggest that the drastic response of neural stem/progenitor cells after X-ray irradiation occurred even in the short period.

Influence of environmental pH on G2-phase arrest caused by ionizing radiation

We investigated the effects of an acidic environment on the G2/M-phase arrest, apoptosis, clonogenic death, and changes in cyclin B1-CDC2 kinase activity caused by a 4-Gy irradiation in RKO.C human colorectal cancer cells in vitro. The time to reach peak G2/M-phase arrest after irradiation was delayed in pH 6.6 medium compared to that in pH 7.5 medium. Furthermore, the radiation-induced G2/M-phase arrest decayed more slowly in pH 6.6 medium than in pH 7.5 medium. Finally, there was less radiation-induced apoptosis and clonogenic cell death in pH 6.6 medium than in pH 7.5 medium. It appeared that the prolongation of G2-phase arrest after irradiation in the acidic environment allowed for greater repair of radiation-induced DNA damage, thereby decreasing the radiation-induced cell death. The prolongation of G2-phase arrest after irradiation in the acidic pH environment appeared to be related at least in part to a prolongation of the phosphorylation of CDC2, which inhibited cyclin B1-CDC2 kinase activity.

Dephosphorylation and subcellular compartment change of the mitotic Bloom's syndrome DNA helicase in response to ionizing radiation

Bloom's syndrome is a rare human autosomal recessive disorder that combines a marked genetic instability and an increased risk of developing all types of cancers and which results from mutations in both copies of the BLM gene encoding a RecQ 3'-5' DNA helicase. We recently showed that BLM is phosphorylated and excluded from the nuclear matrix during mitosis. We now show that the phosphorylated mitotic BLM protein is associated with a 3'-5' DNA helicase activity and interacts with topoisomerase III alpha. We demonstrate that in mitosis-arrested cells, ionizing radiation and roscovitine treatment both result in the reversion of BLM phosphorylation, suggesting that BLM could be dephosphorylated through the inhibition of cdc2 kinase. This was supported further by our data showing that cdc2 kinase activity is inhibited in gamma-irradiated mitotic cells. Finally we show that after ionizing radiation, BLM is not involved in the establishment of the mitotic DNA damage checkpoint but is subjected to a subcellular compartment change. These findings lead us to propose that BLM may be phosphorylated during mitosis, probably through the cdc2 pathway, to form a pool of rapidly available active protein. Inhibition of cdc2 kinase after ionizing radiation would lead to BLM dephosphorylation and possibly to BLM recruitment to some specific sites for repair.

High and low fluences of alpha-particles induce a G1 checkpoint in human diploid fibroblasts

The effects of exposure to high and very low fluence alpha-particles on the G1 checkpoint were investigated in human diploid fibroblasts irradiated and released from density-inhibited confluent cultures by the use of the cumulative labeling index method. Transient and permanent arrests in G1 occurred in fibroblast populations exposed to mean doses as low as 1 cGy, suggesting that nontraversed bystander cells may contribute to the low dose response. In cells exposed to high fluences, the G1 checkpoint is at least as extensive as in gamma-irradiated cells. In contrast to gamma-irradiated cells, neither repair of potentially lethal damage nor a reduction in the fraction of cells transiently or permanently arrested in G1 were observed in cells held in confluence for 6 h after alpha-particle irradiation. Studies with isogenic wild-type, p53-/-, and p21Waf1-/- mouse embryo fibroblasts exposed to either gamma or alpha-particle radiation revealed a total lack of G1 arrest in either p53-/- or p21waf1-/- cells, indicating that the G1 checkpoint in wild-type cells is p53-dependent and that p21Wf1 fully mediates the role of p53 in its induction. In contrast to human cells, mouse embryo fibroblasts do not undergo a permanent G1 arrest. Except under conditions favoring potentially lethal damage repair, a comparable expression pattern of p53, p21Waf1, and other cell cycle-regulated proteins (pRb, p34cdc2, and cyclin B1) was observed in alpha-particle or gamma-irradiated human fibroblasts.

Requirements for p53 and the ATM gene product in the regulation of G1/S and S phase checkpoints

We investigated the requirements for protein p53 and the ATM gene product in radiation-induced inhibition of DNA synthesis and regulation of the cyclin E/ and cyclin A/cyclin dependent kinases (Cdks). Wild type (WT) mouse lung fibroblasts (MLFs), p53(-/-) knock-out MLFs, normal human skin fibroblasts (HSF-55), and human AT skin fibroblasts (GM02052) were used in the investigations. The absence of p53 had no significant effect on the inhibition or recovery of DNA synthesis throughout the S phase, as determined from BrdU labeling and flow cytometry, or the rapid inhibition of cyclin A/Cdks. Gamma radiation (8 Gy) inhibited DNA synthesis and progression into G2 during the first 3 h after irradiation, and the recovery of these processes occurred at similar rates in both WT and p53(-/-) MLFs. The cyclin A/Cdks were inhibited 55-70% at 1 h after irradiation in both cell types, but p21WAF1/Cip1 levels or p21 interaction with Cdk2 did not increase in the irradiated p53(-/-) MLFs. Although p53(-/-) MLFs do not exhibit prolonged arrest at a G1 checkpoint, radiation did induce a rapid 20% reduction and small super-recovery of cyclin E/Cdk2 within 1-2 h after irradiation. Similar inhibition and recovery of cyclin E/Cdk2 previously had been associated with regulation of transient G1 delay and the inhibition of initiation at an apparent G1/S checkpoint in Chinese hamster cells. In contrast, loss of the ATM gene product abrogated transient cyclin E/Cdk2 inhibition, most inhibition of DNA synthesis and all, but a 10-15% inhibition, of the cyclin A/Cdks. The results indicate that neither p53 nor p21 is required for transient inhibition of cyclin E/Cdk2 associated with the G1/S checkpoint or for inhibition of DNA synthesis at 'checkpoints' within the S phase. Conversely, the ATM gene product appears to be essential for regulation of the G1/S checkpoint and for inhibition of DNA replication associated with the inhibition of cyclin A/Cdk2. Differential aspects of DNA synthesis inhibition among cell types are presented and discussed in the context of S phase checkpoints.

CDC2 is down-regulated by ionizing radiation in a p53-dependent manner

The mammalian cellular response to ionizing radiation results in delays in progression through the cell cycle at several checkpoints and includes alterations in the activity of cyclin-dependent kinases. The product of the CDC2 gene is a key kinase involved in cell cycle progression. The signaling events that regulate its expression after exposure to DNA-damaging agents are not known. We show that cdc2 mRNA and protein are down-regulated after irradiation of normal human and mouse fibroblasts with doses as low as 0.5 Gy. This down-regulation is preceded by induction of p53 and p21Waf1 proteins. In human cells in which p53 was nonfunctional and in p53-/- or p21-/- mouse embryo fibroblasts, no effect of ionizing radiation on p34cdc2 expression levels was observed. These findings indicate that CDC2 down-regulation after irradiation is p53-dependent and involves the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21Waf1 as a negative factor in the control of CDC2 expression. Correspondence between the delay in initiation of DNA synthesis in irradiated cells and the down-regulation of CDC2 is described.

Transient tyrosine phosphorylation of p34cdc2 is an early event in radiation-induced apoptosis of prostate cancer cells

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have demonstrated that androgen-independent human prostate cancer cells undergo radiation-induced apoptosis. The present study investigated the early events that trigger the apoptotic response of prostate cancer cells after exposure to ionizing irradiation.

METHODS

Human prostate cancer cells (PC-3) were exposed to single doses of ionizing irradiation, and the immediate protein phosphorylation events were temporally correlated with induction of apoptosis. Apoptosis among the irradiated cell populations was evaluated using the fluorescein-terminal transferase assay.

RESULTS

The kinetics of phosphorylation of a Mr 34,000 substrate followed a transient course: an initial increase was observed after 10 min postirradiation, reaching maximum levels by 60 min, and the protein subsequently underwent rapid dephosphorylation. Subsequent analysis revealed that the substrate for this tyrosine phosphorylation is the serine/ threonine p34cdc2 protein kinase, a cell cycle regulatory protein that controls cell entry into mitosis. This enhanced phosphorylation temporally preceded the radiation-induced apoptotic DNA fragmentation as detected by the terminal transferase technique. Arresting the cells in G0/G1 phase by pretreatment with suramin totally abrogated radiation-induced phosphorylation of p34cdc2 protein at the tyrosine residue, indicating that this posttranslational modification occurs in cell populations that escape G2 arrest and undergo apoptosis in response to radiation.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that a rapid and transient phosphorylation of a protein that controls mitotic progression precedes and potentially triggers radiation-induced apoptosis in prostate cancer cells.

Ultraviolet light-induced G2 phase cell cycle checkpoint blocks cdc25-dependent progression into mitosis

In response to low doses of ultraviolet (U.V.) radiation, cells undergo a G2 delay. In this study we have shown that the G2 delay results in the accumulation of inactive forms of cyclin B1/cdc2 and both the G2 and mitotic complexes of cyclin A/cdk. This appears to be through a block in the cdc25-dependent activation of these complexes. The expression and localisation of cyclin A and cyclin B1/cdk complexes are similar in U.V.-induced G2 delay and normal early G2 phase cells. Cdc25B and cdc25C also accumulate to normal G2 levels in U.V. irradiated cells, but the mitotic phosphorylation associated with increased activity of both cdc25B and cdc25C is absent. The cdc25B accumulates in the nucleus of U.V. irradiated cells and in normal G2 phase cells. Thus the block in cyclin B/cdc2 activation is in part due to the physical separation of cyclin B/cdc2, localised in the cytoplasm, from the cdc25B and cdc25C phosphatases localised in the nucleus. The data positions the U.V.-induced G2 checkpoint at either the S/G2 transition or early G2 phase, prior to the activation of cyclin A/cdk2.

Dissociation between cell cycle arrest and apoptosis can occur in Li-Fraumeni cells heterozygous for p53 gene mutations

The radiation response was investigated in two lymphoblastoid cell lines (LBC) derived from families with heterozygous germ-line missense mutations of p53 at codon 282 (LBC282) and 286 (LBC286), and compared to cells with wt/wt p53(LBC-N). By gel retardation assays, we show that p53-containing nuclear extracts from irradiated LBC282 and LBC286 markedly differ in their ability to bind to a p53 DNA consensus sequence, the former generating a shifted band whose intensity is 30-40% that of LBC-N, the latter generating an almost undetectable band. Unlike LBC286, which fail to arrest in G1 after irradiation, LBC282 have an apparently normal G1/S checkpoint, as they arrest in G1, like LBC-N. While in LBC-N, accumulation of p53 and transactivation of p21WAF1 increase rapidly and markedly by 3 h after exposure to gamma-radiation, in LBC286 there is only a modest accumulation of p53 and a significantly delayed and quantitatively reduced transactivation of p21WAF1. Instead, in LBC282 while p53 levels rise little after irradiation, p21WAF1 levels increase rapidly and significantly as in normal LBC. Apoptotic cells present 48 h after irradiation account for 32% in LBC-N, 8-9% in LBC282 and 5-7% in LBC286, while the dose of gamma-radiation required for killing 50% of cells (LD50) is 400 rads, 1190 rads and 3190 rads, respectively, hence indicating that the heterozygous mutations of p53 at codon 282 affects radioresistance and survival, but not the G1/S cell cycle control. In all LBC tested, radiation-induced apoptosis occurs in all phases of the cell cycle and appears not to directly involve changes in the levels of the apoptosis-associated proteins bcl-2, bax and mcl-1. Both basal as well as radiation-induced p53 and p21WAF1 proteins are detected by Western blotting of FACS-purified G1, S and G2/M fractions from the three cell lines. p34CDC2-Tyr15, the inactive form of p34CDC2 kinase phosphorylated on Tyr15, is found in S and G2/M fractions, but not in G1. However, 24 h after irradiation, its levels in these fractions diminish appreciably in LBC-N but not in the radioresistant LBC286 and LBC282. Concomitantly, p34CDC2 histone H1 kinase activity increases in the former, but not in the latter cell lines, hence suggesting a role for this protein in radiation-induced cell death. Altogether, this study shows that, in cells harbouring heterozygous mutations of p53, the G1 checkpoint is not necessarily disrupted, and this may be related to the endogenous p53 heterocomplexes having lost or not the capacity to bind DNA (and therefore transactivate target genes). Radiation-induced cell death is not cell cycle phase specific, does not involve the regulation of bcl-2, bax or mcl-1, but is associated with changes in the phosphorylation state and activation of p34CDC2 kinase.

UCN-01: a potent abrogator of G2 checkpoint function in cancer cells with disrupted p53

BACKGROUND

Arrest of the cell cycle in G2 phase following DNA damage helps protect cell viability by allowing time for DNA repair before entry into mitosis (M phase). Abrogation of G2 arrest sensitizes cells to the effects of DNA-damaging agents. UCN-01 (7-hydroxystaurosporine), a protein kinase C inhibitor that may block G2 checkpoint regulation, has been reported to enhance the cytotoxicity of mitomycin C, a known DNA-damaging agent.

PURPOSE

We studied the effect of UCN-01 on G2 checkpoint control in human lymphoma CA46 cells, whose sensitivity to various DNA-damaging agents and G2 response to DNA damage have been characterized. We also assessed the ability of UCN-01 to enhance the cytotoxicity of gamma irradiation in CA46 cells and human colon carcinoma HT-29 cells, both of which are mutant for p53 function. The influence of p53 function on UCN-01-mediated abrogation of the G2 checkpoint and enhancement of DNA-damaging agent cytotoxicity was studied in transfected human breast carcinoma MCF-7 cells that either expressed or did not express the human papillomavirus type-16 E6 protein. MCF-7 cells have normal p53 function, and the E6 protein binds p53 protein and promotes its destruction.

METHODS

The effect of UCN-01 on cell cycle arrest induced by gamma irradiation was studied in CA46 cells and in transfected MCF-7 cells by use of flow cytometry. A histone H1 phosphorylation assay was employed to measure cyclin B1/Cdc2 kinase activity in extracts derived from irradiated and nonirradiated CA46 cells that had been either treated or not treated with UCN-01; the phosphorylation status of Cdc2 kinase protein in the same extracts was determined by use of western blotting. The effect of UCN-01 on the cytotoxicity of gamma irradiation in CA46 and HT-29 cells was determined by use of MTT (thiazolyl blue) and clonogenic (colony-forming) assays, respectively; a clonogenic assay was also used to measure the effect of UCN-01 on the cytotoxicity of cisplatin in transfected and nontransfected MCF-7 cells.

RESULTS

G2 arrest induced in CA46 cells by gamma irradiation was minibited by treatment with UCN-01 in a dose-dependent manner; arrest in G2 was completely abrogated by exposure to 300 nM UCN-01. Biochemical markers indicative of the G2/M transition, including the activation of cyclin B1/Cdc2 kinase and the suppression of Cdc2 threonine-14 and tyrosine-15 phosphorylation, were detected in irradiated cells treated with UCN-01. UCN-01 enhanced the cytotoxicity of gamma irradiation in CA46 and HT-29 cells. MCF-7 cells with functional p53 protein were more resistant to G2 checkpoint abrogation by UCN-01 than MCF-7 cells with disrupted p53 function. UCN-01 markedly enhanced the cell-killing activity of cisplatin in MCF-7 cells defective for p53 function.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

UCN-01 is a potent abrogator of G2 checkpoint control in cancer cells with disrupted p53 function. UCN-01 might be capable of enhancing the effectiveness of DNA-damaging agents in the treatment of tumors with cells lacking normal p53 function.

Ultraviolet B irradiation-induced G2 cell cycle arrest in human keratinocytes by inhibitory phosphorylation of the cdc2 cell cycle kinase

In response to genotoxic stress, cell cycle progression can be arrested at certain checkpoints which serve to maintain genomic integrity. We have investigated the mechanism of ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation-induced cell cycle arrest in normal human keratinocytes and in the HaCaT keratinocyte cell line which carries mutant p53 tumour suppressor protein. While only normal keratinocytes showed a delay in G1 following sublethal UVB irradiation both cell types exhibited prolonged G2 arrest attributable to rapid inhibition of cyclin B-associated cdc2 kinase activity. This inhibition coincided with increased tyrosine phosphorylation of cdc2 and was reversed by the cdc25C phosphatase in vitro. The data indicate that UVB-induced G2 arrest in mammalian cells is mediated by inhibitory tyrosine phosphorylation of cdc2 and acts as a defense mechanism against DNA damage irrespective of the cells' p53 status.

The effect of radiation on G2 blocks, cyclin B expression and cdc2 expression in human squamous carcinoma cell lines with different radiosensitivities

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of cyclin B and cdc2 in the G2 delay and to test whether the magnitude of the G2 delay correlated with sensitivity to ionizing radiation in two human cell lines. Cell cycle delays were measured by flow cytometry after pulse labeling with bromodeoxyuridine, and expression of cell cycle control genes were measured in Western blots in radiosensitive SCC61 and radioresistant SQ20B cell lines. Flow cytometry data demonstrated that the duration of the G2 arrest was dose dependent in both cell lines, amounting to approximately 1.1 h/Gy. No difference was found between the cell lines in the length of the G2 block. Radiation exposure did not result in a decrease of cyclin B. Cyclin B protein levels in both asynchronous and synchronized populations in fact showed a dose dependent increase, concomitant with the rise in the fraction of cells in G2/M. Similarly, the cdc2 protein levels did not decrease after irradiation. However, it was found that the levels of hyperphosphorylated, and therefore inactive, kinase were significantly higher in irradiated cells than in unirradiated cells. The accumulation of this hyperphosphorylated form correlated with the arrest of cells in the G2 phase. Finally, immunocytochemical staining of cyclin B revealed an increase of this protein in the cytoplasm after irradiation and a decrease in nuclear staining. This differential localization could possibly account for the reduced nuclear phosphorylation of cdc2 kinase leading to the G2 arrest.

The protein kinase C inhibitor ilmofosine (BM 41 440) arrests cells in G2 phase and suppresses CDC2 kinase activation through a mechanism different from that of DNA damaging agents

The thioether phospholipid derivative ilmofosine (BM41440), a selective inhibitor of protein kinase C, is a new anticancer drug presently undergoing Phase II clinical trials. We have examined the influence of the compound on cell cycle progression. Ilmofosine was found to induce a dose-dependent accumulation of CA46 cells in G2-phase of the cell cycle. G2-arrest correlated with suppression of cdc2 kinase activation. Ilmofosine did not affect cdc2 kinase activity in vitro, consistent with an indirect locus of action. Ilmofosine treated CA46 cells failed to accumulate hyperphosphorylated-cdc2/cyclin B1 complexes that are observed when G2-arrest is induced by either nitrogen mustard or ionizing radiation. Indeed, cdc2 became dephosphorylated and cyclin B1 protein levels decreased as ilmofosine treated cells became arrested in G2. Our findings suggest that ilmofosine down-regulates cdc2 kinase activation through a mechanism that affects the formation of cdc2/cyclin B1 complexes.