The effect of 5-bromodeoxyuridine on messenger RNA production in cultured cells

Changes in cytoarchitecture and mobility in B16F1 melanoma cells induced by 5-Br-2'-dU coincide with Rock2, miRNAs 138-5p and 455-3p reciprocal expressions

ROCK2 is a protein involved in the restructuring of the cytoskeleton in cell adhesion and contractibility processes. miR-138-5p and miR-455-3p regulate Rock2 expression, cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in different experimental cell models. However, their participation in the cytoarchitecture and mobility of B16F1 melanoma cells exposed to 5-Br-2'-dU is partially known. This work aimed to analyze ROCK2 and miRs 138-5p and 455-3p expression associated with morphological and mobility changes of B16F1 mouse melanoma cells exposed to the thymidine analog 5-Bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (5-Br-2'-dU). We observed an increase (2.2X n = 3, p < 0.05) in the cell area, coinciding with an increase in cell diameter (1.27X n = 3, p < 0.05), as well as greater cell granularity, capacity for circularization, adhesion, which was associated with more significant polymerization of F-actin, collapsed in the intermediate filaments of vimentin (VIM), and coinciding with a decrease in migration (87%). Changes coincided with a decrease in Rock2 mRNA expression (2.88X n = 3, p < 0.05), increased vimentin and a reciprocal decrease in miR-138-5p (1.8X), and an increase in miR-455-3p (2.39X). The Rock2 kinase inhibitor Y27632 partially rescued these changes. These results suggest ROCK2 and VIM regulate the morphological and mobility changes of B16 melanoma cells after exposure to 5-Br-2'-dU, and its expression may be reciprocally regulated, at least in part, by miR-138-5p and miR-455-3p.

Reciprocal Changes in miRNA Expression with Pigmentation and Decreased Proliferation Induced in Mouse B16F1 Melanoma Cells by L-Tyrosine and 5-Bromo-2'-Deoxyuridine

Background: Many microRNAs have been identified as critical mediators in the progression of melanoma through its regulation of genes involved in different cellular processes such as melanogenesis, cell cycle control, and senescence. However, microRNAs’ concurrent participation in syngeneic mouse B16F1 melanoma cells simultaneously induced decreased proliferation and differential pigmentation by exposure to 5-Brd-2′-dU (5’Bromo-2-deoxyuridine) and L-Tyr (L-Tyrosine) respectively, is poorly understood. Aim: To evaluate changes in the expression of microRNAs and identify which miRNAs in-network may contribute to the functional bases of phenotypes of differential pigmentation and reduction of proliferation in B16F1 melanoma cells exposed to 5-Brd-2′-dU and L-Tyr. Methods: Small RNAseq evaluation of the expression profiles of miRNAs in B16F1 melanoma cells exposed to 5-Brd-2′-dU (2.5 μg/mL) and L-Tyr (5 mM), as well as the expression by qRT-PCR of some molecular targets related to melanogenesis, cell cycle, and senescence. By bioinformatic analysis, we constructed network models of regulation and co-expression of microRNAs. Results: We confirmed that stimulation or repression of melanogenesis with L-Tyr or 5-Brd-2′-dU, respectively, generated changes in melanin concentration, reduction in proliferation, and changes in expression of microRNAs 470-3p, 470-5p, 30d-5p, 129-5p, 148b-3p, 27b-3p, and 211-5p, which presented patterns of coordinated and reciprocal co-expression, related to changes in melanogenesis through their putative targets Mitf, Tyr and Tyrp1, and control of cell cycle and senescence: Cyclin D1, Cdk2, Cdk4, p21, and p27. Conclusions: These findings provide insights into the molecular biology of melanoma of the way miRNAs are coordinated and reciprocal expression that may operate in a network as molecular bases for understanding changes in pigmentation and decreased proliferation induced in B16F1 melanoma cells exposed to L-Tyr and 5-Brd-2′-dU.

The genetic toxicology of 5-bromodeoxyuridine in mammalian cells

The thymidine analog, BrdUrd, induces many biological responses which are of importance to the field of genetic toxicology and related disciplines. These include the induction of SCE, specific-locus mutations, and toxicity, inhibition of cell proliferation, and the expression of fragile sites in the human genome. In early models which addressed the mechanisms of the biological effects of BrdUrd exposure, two pathways were proposed to account for the induction of the biological responses. Incorporation of the enol form of BrdUrd into the nascent DNA strand after pairing with deoxyguanosine was proposed as one pathway, whereas the incorporation of BrdUrd opposite adenosine in place of thymidine was proposed as the second pathway. Many novel and sophisticated techniques have been applied to the study of the mechanism of the induction of biological effects by BrdUrd leading to a substantial increase in our understanding of these mechanisms. However, the experimental evidence clearly supports the contention that BrdUrd exerts its effects on eukaryotic cells through mechanisms similar to those originally proposed to explain the genotoxicity of BrdUrd.

Effect of thymidine analogs on tyrosinase activity and mRNA accumulation in mouse melanoma cells

The thymidine analog 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) has been found to inhibit terminal differentiation of a variety of cell types without significantly affecting the growth of these cells. We have compared the effect of BrdU with two other thymidine analogs, 5-iododeoxyuridine and 5-fluorodeoxyuridine, on the growth, tyrosinase activity, and tyrosinase-mRNA accumulation in BL-6 mouse melanoma cells. We show that all three analogs inhibit growth and tyrosinase activity, but only BrdU significantly inhibits the accumulation of tyrosinase mRNA. We consider these results in the light of current understanding of BrdU action.

Formation of the pool of covalently closed circular viral DNA in hepadnavirus-infected cells

Covalently closed circular (CCC) double-stranded DNA believed to be the transcriptional template for duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) is amplified in aging primary cultures of hepatocytes from congenitally infected ducklings. Analysis of 5-bromodeoxyuridine-labeled heavy/light CCC DNA shows that the relaxed circular DNA synthesized in the cytoplasm by reverse transcription is the predominant precursor to the amplified pool of nuclear viral CCC DNA. In vitro infection of uninfected hepatocyte cultures with DHBV demonstrates that a similar 50-fold amplification of CCC DNA occurs during an early stage in the infection before virus production. This amplification allows the establishment of a pool of transcriptional templates in the cell without the need for semiconservative replication or multiple rounds of infection. This process may account for the ability of hepadnavirus-infected cells persistently to produce virus particles in the absence of stable integration of viral DNA.

Protein synthesis in human lymphoblastoid cells (Namalwa) after treatment with butyrate and 5'-bromodeoxyuridine

The pattern of protein synthesis has been compared in Namalwa cells following treatment with butyrate and 5'-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd). Although these treatments cause a substantial increase in Sendai virus-induced interferon synthesis (up to 300-fold) we observed no comparable effect on the synthesis of other cellular proteins. Using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis we have investigated the proteins synthesised before and 8 h after Sendai virus infection of treated cells. Only 2 of the 300 most abundant cellular proteins were reproducibly affected, these always showed increased rates of synthesis in butyrate-treated cells. The most significant was a 3-4-fold enhancement in synthesis of a 35,000 molecular weight protein which we have called BEP35. On individual occasions treatment caused changes in the rates of synthesis of other proteins, these were not reproducible and involved less than 4% of the proteins investigated. None of the Sendai virus structural proteins or virus-induced cellular proteins were affected by the treatment. We conclude that butyrate and BrdUrd treatments have a relatively specific effect on the synthesis of interferon in Namalwa cells, as the majority of protein synthesis remains unaffected.

Hybridization studies of poly A-RNA from 5'-bromodeoxyuridine treated neuroblastoma cells

Hybridization studies were carried out to measure sequence complexity and relative complexity of poly A-RNA populations from M1 neuroblastoma cells cultivated under proliferating conditions and after BrdU treatment. BrdU treatment is known to induce morphological differentiation. Hybridization kinetics were performed with [3H] labelled complementary DNA synthetized by reverse transcriptase action. The total complexities and the complexities of three classes of sequences measured for the two developmental states differed significantly. In particular, the total complexities as well as the complexity of the rare sequences class were higher in the poly A-RNA population of morphological differentiated M1 cells. Heterologous hybridization between poly A-RNA of proliferating cells with cDNA of differentiated M1 cells was very close to the homologous hybridization of poly A-RNA and cDNA from differentiated cells, nevertheless significant differences, were found in the intermediate and in the rare sequences classes. On the other hand the inverse heterologous hybridization (poly A-RNA of differentiated state X cDNA of proliferating cells) showed a lower hybridization in the region of Rot higher than 1. The plateau reached only 87 per cent compared to that of the homologous hybridization, suggesting that certain sequences expressed in the differentiated state. Nevertheless the number of different poly A-RNA species present per cell (seen by homologous hybridization experiments) was higher in differentiated state indicating that selective transcription took place beside repression with morphological differentiation.

Proteins of BrdU-dependent hamster cell lines as characterized by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis

Cell lines which exhibit the BrdU-dependent phenotype (B4 and HAB) were studied with respect to BrdU-induced alterations in genetic expression by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. A comparison of the proteins from the HAB cells, in which the DNA is 100% substituted by BrdU, to those of the unsubstituted parent line (3460) showed 55 protein alterations; the synthesis of 15 increased while that of the other 40 decreased. When 3460 cells were grown in BrdU such that their DNA was greater than 50% substituted, 27 protein changes could be detected; of these, the synthesis of 10 increased while that of 17 decreased. A comparison of all these changes in the various cell lines showed six which were common to the BrdU-substituted cell lines. The proteins from another Syrian hamster cell line, BHK-21 (C-13) and those of HAB cells grown in thymidine or BrdC were also examined on two-dimensional gels. Although BrdU has a dramatic effect on many cellular functions, relatively few changes in the pattern of protein synthesis could be detected in these cell lines, perhaps reflecting the specialized action of this analogue on particular cellular functions.

Correlation between hypomethylation of DNA and expression of globin genes in Friend erythroleukemia cells

This report identifies L-ethionine as an inducer of differentiation in murine erythroleukemia cells. When Friend erythroleukemia cells are grown in the presence of 4mM L-ethionine, globin mRNA accumulates and in 4-5 days, 25-30% of the cells in the culture contain hemoglobin. Incubation of the cells with bromodeoxyuridine prevents both ethionine-induced accumulation of globin mRNA and erythroide differentiation. At the concentration where L-ethionine acts as an inducer of FL cell differentiation it inhibits methylation of DNA and tRNA in vivo but does not prevent macromolecular synthesis or cell division. To establish whether a link existed between inhibition of a specific methyltransferase and activation of globin synthesis in FL cells, we examined the degree of hypomethylation of DNA and tRNA from FL cells induced to differentiate with dimethylsulfoxide and butyrate. In contrast to the tRNA from ethionine-treated cells, tRNA from cells induced by butyrate or Me2SO cannot be methylated in vitro using homologous enzymes. DNA isolated from cells exposed to any of the three inducers, however, was significantly hypomethylated when compared with DNA from uninduced cells. These data suggest that methylation of DNA may play a role in the regulation of gene expression.