Korostoff J, Wang JF, Kieba I, Miller M, Shenker BJ, Lally ET. Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans leukotoxin induces apoptosis in HL-60 cells.
Infect Immun 1998;
66:4474-83. [PMID:
9712803 PMCID:
PMC108541 DOI:
10.1128/iai.66.9.4474-4483.1998]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/1998] [Accepted: 06/07/1998] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans leukotoxin (Ltx) is a member of the repeats-in-toxin (RTX) family of pore-forming toxins and kills human immune cells. Currently, it remains unclear whether toxin-mediated killing of target cells involves the induction of necrosis or apoptosis. Therefore, the goal of this investigation was to determine whether Ltx is capable of causing apoptotic cell death in toxin-sensitive promyelocytic HL-60 cells. Multiparameter flow cytometric analysis of toxin-treated cells stained with Hoechst 33258 (or 33342) and 7-aminoactinomycin D allowed us to identify four populations: viable cells, early apoptotic cells, late apoptotic and/or secondarily necrotic cells, and a final population that was composed of cellular debris. Compared with control cells, HL-60 cells treated with Ltx exhibited a gradual decrease in forward light scatter with a coincident increase in side light scatter, indicative of a decrease in cell size and organelle condensation, respectively. Additional experiments demonstrated that Ltx-treated cells showed evidence of internucleosomal DNA fragmentation and phosphatidylserine translocation. The results of our studies clearly demonstrate that Ltx can kill HL-60 cells by inducing apoptosis. We hypothesize that elimination of acute inflammatory cells via this mechanism plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of diseases caused by A. actinomycetemeomitans.
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