Periodic mitotic events induced in the absence of DNA replication

Radiomimetic Cell Cycle Delay Induced by Tetranodecanoyl Phorbol Acetate is Enhanced by Caffeine and by the Protein Kinase Inhibitor 2-aminopurine

The tumour promoter and protein kinase C agonist, 12-O-tetranodecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA), has been reported to show a radiomimetic action because it transiently delays the passage of HeLa cells through the G2 phase, as do ionizing radiation and other DNA damaging agents. Caffeine is known to override the G2 delay imposed by DNA damage; it is shown here that caffeine does not override the radiomimetic delay imposed by TPA in HeLa, but instead enhances it, without affecting G2 progression in control cells. Most of the other agents which more specifically affect some of the diverse range of caffeine targets either do not affect G2 progression after TPA, or delay G2 progression in control cells and exert a further delay in the presence of TPA. The exception is 2-aminopurine, a protein kinase inhibitor which has been shown to have an action similar to that of caffeine is allowing progression of the cell cycle to mitosis after the inhibition of DNA synthesis, without affecting normal cycle progression through G2. This agent, like caffeine, also has the contrary action of retarding cycle progression after TPA. It is concluded that the G2 delays induced by ionizing radiation and by TPA operate by different mechanisms, which are modulated in opposite senses by mechanisms involving protein kinase inhibition.

DNA replication and progression through the cell cycle

Somatic cells possess control mechanisms which monitor DNA replication and assure that it is complete before mitosis is initiated. We have been investigating these mechanisms in Xenopus egg extracts. Using in vitro cycling extracts, which spontaneously alternate between interphase and mitosis, we found that the onset of mitosis is inhibited by the presence of unreplicated DNA, demonstrating that the completion of DNA replication and the initiation of mitosis are coupled in these extracts. As in somatic cells, this coupling is sensitive to caffeine and to okadaic acid. In Xenopus extracts unreplicated DNA increases the tyrosine phosphorylation of p34cdc2, thereby maintaining MPF (mitosis-promoting factor) in an inactive state and preventing the onset of mitosis. The block to mitosis in the presence of unreplicated DNA can be reversed by the addition of bacterially expressed cdc25 protein. The extent of MPF activation by cdc25 protein under these conditions depends on the number of nuclei present. We have developed an assay to examine the rate of tyrosine phosphorylation on p34cdc2. It is increased by unreplicated DNA, in a manner consistent with unreplicated DNA up-regulating the kinase that phosphorylates p34cdc2. We have begun to examine how unreplicated DNA generates the signal that inhibits MPF activation by testing the ability of naked single- and double-stranded DNA templates to inhibit mitosis, and by investigating the role of RCC1, a chromatin-associated protein required for the coupling of DNA replication and mitosis.

The role of Ran in nuclear function

There have been three major advances in the understanding of the Ran pathway during the past two years: first, a general model for Ran's function in nuclear transport has been proposed and extensively tested. Second, crystal structures for many proteins that regulate or interact with Ran have been reported, which provide molecular details of how Ran works. Third, it has been documented that Ran regulates mitotic spindle assembly in a transport-independent fashion.

Requirement of the prolyl isomerase Pin1 for the replication checkpoint

The peptidyl-prolyl isomerase Pin1 has been implicated in regulating cell cycle progression. Pin1 was found to be required for the DNA replication checkpoint in Xenopus laevis. Egg extracts depleted of Pin1 inappropriately transited from the G2 to the M phase of the cell cycle in the presence of the DNA replication inhibitor aphidicolin. This defect in replication checkpoint function was reversed after the addition of recombinant wild-type Pin1, but not an isomerase-inactive mutant, to the depleted extract. Premature mitotic entry in the absence of Pin1 was accompanied by hyperphosphorylation of Cdc25, activation of Cdc2/cyclin B, and generation of epitopes recognized by the mitotic phosphoprotein antibody, MPM-2. Therefore, Pin1 appears to be required for the checkpoint delaying the onset of mitosis in response to incomplete replication.

Caffeine can override the S-M checkpoint in fission yeast

The replication checkpoint (or ‘S-M checkpoint’) control prevents progression into mitosis when DNA replication is incomplete. Caffeine has been known for some time to have the capacity to override the S-M checkpoint in animal cells. We show here that caffeine also disrupts the S-M checkpoint in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. By contrast, no comparable effects of caffeine on the S. pombe DNA damage checkpoint were seen. S. pombe cells arrested in early S phase and then exposed to caffeine lost viability rapidly as they attempted to enter mitosis, which was accompanied by tyrosine dephosphorylation of Cdc2. Despite this, the caffeine-induced loss of viability was not blocked in a temperature-sensitive cdc2 mutant incubated at the restrictive temperature, although catastrophic mitosis was prevented under these conditions. This suggests that, in addition to S-M checkpoint control, a caffeine-sensitive function may be important for maintenance of cell viability during S phase arrest. The lethality of a combination of caffeine with the DNA replication inhibitor hydroxyurea was suppressed by overexpression of Cds1 or Chk1, protein kinases previously implicated in S-M checkpoint control and recovery from S phase arrest. In addition, the same combination of drugs was specifically tolerated in cells overexpressing either of two novel S. pombe genes isolated in a cDNA library screen. These findings should allow further molecular investigation of the regulation of S phase arrest, and may provide a useful system with which to identify novel drugs that specifically abrogate the checkpoint control.

The role of the Ran GTPase pathway in cell cycle control and interphase nuclear functions

Ran is a small, highly abundant, nuclear GTPase. Mutants in Ran and in proteins that interact with it disrupt the normal checkpoint control of mitosis with respect to the completion of DNA synthesis. Ran and other components of this pathway are also required for numerous nuclear functions such as RNA export, protein import, RNA processing and DNA replication. It will be important to understand how these facets of Ran's activities are linked and how they promote correct control of the cell cycle. This review examines recent progress in discovering other components of the Ran GTPase pathway and considers how this pathway may be required for the control of the cell cycle.

Biochemical differences between staurosporine-induced apoptosis and premature mitosis

Apoptosis is morphologically related to premature mitosis, an aberrant form of mitosis. Staurosporine, a potent protein kinase inhibitor, induces not only apoptotic cell death in a wide variety of mammalian cells but also premature initiation of mitosis in hamster cells that are arrested in S phase by DNA synthesis inhibitors. Here we report on the biochemical differences between the two phenomena commonly caused by staurosporine. Rat 3Y1 fibroblasts that had been arrested in S phase with hydroxyurea underwent apoptosis by treatment with staurosporine, whereas S-phase-arrested CHO cells initiated mitosis prematurely when similarly treated with a low concentration of staurosporine. Chromosome condensation occurred in both apoptosis (3Y1) and premature mitosis (CHO). However, neither formation of mitotic spindles nor mitosis-specific phosphorylation of MPM-2 antigens was observed in apoptosis of 3Y1 cells, unlike premature mitosis of CHO cells. The p34cdc2 kinase activated in normal and prematurely mitotic cells remained inactive in the apoptotic cells, probably because the active cyclin B/p34cdc2 complex was almost absent in the S-phase-arrested 3Y1 cells. The absence of intracellular activation of p34cdc2 in apoptosis was confirmed by immunohistochemical analyses using a specific antibody raised against Ser55-phosphorylated vimentin which is specifically phosphorylated by p34cdc2 during M phase. Furthermore, phosphorylation of histones H1 and H3, which is associated with mitotic chromosome condensation, did not occur in the apoptotic cells. These results indicate that the two phenomena, staurosporine-induced apoptosis and premature mitosis, are different in their requirement for p34cdc2 kinase activation and histone phosphorylation.

Caffeine-resistance in fission yeast is caused by mutations in a single essential gene, crm1+

Caffeine is a base analogue and is known to affect a wide variety of cellular processes. In order to dissect genetically molecules which mediate the biological effects of caffeine, temperature-sensitive (ts) and caffeine-resistant mutants were isolated from fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Surprisingly, all twelve ts isolates contained a mutation in the same locus, crm1. Cells of the ts crm1 mutant showed an abnormal chromosome structure at the restrictive temperature, an elevated expression of Pap1-dependent transcription, and cross-resistance to an unrelated drug such as staurosporine. Overproduction of pap1+ also conferred caffeine resistance, whilst the resistance of the crm1 mutant is abolished in the pap1- background. These results show that the crm1+ gene is a major locus for caffeine resistance, which arises from Pap1-dependent transcriptional activation.

The chk1 pathway is required to prevent mitosis following cell-cycle arrest at 'start'

BACKGROUND

The G2-M-phase transition is controlled by cell-cycle checkpoint pathways which inhibit mitosis if previous events are incomplete or if the DNA is damaged. Genetic analyses in yeast have defined two related, but distinct, pathways which prevent mitosis--one which acts when S phase is inhibited, and one which acts when the DNA is damaged. In the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, many of the gene products involved have been identified. Six 'radiation checkpoint' (rad) gene products are required for both the S-M and DNA-damage checkpoints, whereas Chk1, a putative protein kinase, is required only for the DNA-damage checkpoint and not for the S-M checkpoint following the inhibition of DNA synthesis.

RESULTS

We have genetically defined a third mitotic control checkpoint pathway in fission yeast which prevents mitosis when passage through 'start' (the commitment point in G1) is compromized. In cycling cells arrested at start, mitosis is prevented by a Chk1-dependent pathway. In the absence of Chk1, G1 cells attempt an abortive mitosis with a 1C DNA content without entering S phase. Similar results are seen in the absence of Rad17, a typical example of a rad gene product.

CONCLUSIONS

Genetic dissection of checkpoints in logarithmically growing fission yeast has identified a pathway that couples mitosis to correct passage through start. This pathway is related to the DNA-structure check-points which ensure that mitosis is dependent on the completion of replication and the integrity of the DNA. We propose that all three mitotic control checkpoints monitor distinct DNA or protein structures at different stages in the cell cycle.

Control of the Cdc2/cyclin B complex in Xenopus egg extracts arrested at a G2/M checkpoint with DNA synthesis inhibitors

Proliferating eukaryotic cells possess checkpoint mechanisms that block cell division in the presence of unreplicated or damaged DNA. Using cell-free extracts from Xenopus eggs, we have investigated the mechanisms underlying the inability of a recombinant Cdc2/cyclin B complex to induce mitosis in the presence of incompletely replicated DNA. We found that the activities of the kinases and phosphatases that regulate the major phosphorylation sites on Cdc2 (e.g., tyrosine 15, threonine 14, and threonine 161) are not altered significantly under conditions where Xenopus extracts remain stably arrested in interphase due to the presence of the replication inhibitor aphidicolin. However, at threshold concentrations, a Cdc2/cyclin B complex containing a mutant Cdc2 subunit that cannot be phosphorylated on either tyrosine 15 or threonine 14 displays a markedly reduced capacity to induce mitosis in the presence of aphidicolin. This observation indicates that the replication checkpoint in Xenopus egg extracts functions without the inhibitory tyrosine and threonine phosphorylation of Cdc2. We provide evidence that the checkpoint-dependent suppression of the Cdc2/cyclin B complex involves a titratable inhibitor that is regulated by the presence of unreplicated DNA.

Evidence for a dual role for TC4 protein in regulating nuclear structure and cell cycle progression

TC4, a ras-like G protein, has been implicated in the feedback pathway linking the onset of mitosis to the completion of DNA replication. In this report we find distinct roles for TC4 in both nuclear assembly and cell cycle progression. Mutant and wild-type forms of TC4 were added to Xenopus egg extracts capable of assembling nuclei around chromatin templates in vitro. We found that a mutant TC4 protein defective in GTP binding (GDP-bound form) suppressed nuclear growth and prevented DNA replication. Nuclear transport under these conditions approximated normal levels. In a separate set of experiments using a cell-free extract of Xenopus eggs that cycles between S and M phases, the GDP-bound form of TC4 had dramatic effects, blocking entry into mitosis even in the complete absence of nuclei. The effect of this mutant TC4 protein on cell cycle progression is mediated by phosphorylation of p34cdc2 on tyrosine and threonine residues, negatively regulating cdc2 kinase activity. Therefore, we provide direct biochemical evidence for a role of TC4 in both maintaining nuclear structure and in the signaling pathways that regulate entry into mitosis.

Abnormal cytoskeletal and chromosome distribution in po, ms4 and ms6; mutant alleles of polymitotic that disrupt the cell cycle progression from meiosis to mitosis in maize

The maize cell cycle regulation mutant polymitotic (po) progresses through abnormal cell cycles, characterized by premature cell divisions without chromosome duplication of the daughter cells produced by meiosis during microsporogenesis and macrosporogenesis. There are three recessive alleles of the Po gene; po, ms4, and ms6. A new method of permeabilizing cells based on freeze-fracture technology was used to study the distribution of microtubules in wild-type and mutant microspores. Here we show that an abnormal distribution of microtubules is correlated with changes in chromosome morphology in a cell cycle-dependent manner in po, ms4 and ms6 mutant alleles. After meiosis II, the cell cycle is complete and becomes progressively less synchronous in po homozygotes compared with wild-type cells. During microsporogenesis, the distribution of microtubules is abnormal, and chromosome morphology is altered in both po, ms4 and ms6 mutants. However, more chromosome fragments or micronuclei associated with minispindles are present in ms6 than po and ms4. After microspores are released from the tetrads, disruptions in structure and organization of chromosomes and microtubules continues in subsequent abnormal cell cycles. However, these cell cycles are incomplete since phragmoplasts are not formed. During these incomplete cell cycles, abnormal spindles and microtubule arrays are induced and extra microtubule arrays are associated with irregularly distributed chromosome fragments. States corresponding to interphase, prophase, metaphase and anaphase can be recognized in the mutant microspores. Abnormal cell cycles also occur after female meiosis during ms4 macrospore development. Since only the cell that normally undergoes embryo sac development (the chazal-most cell) undergoes supernumerary divisions this suggests that the po phenotype can be characterized as premature haploid divisions rather than repetition of meiosis II.

Caffeine potentiates the lethality of tumour necrosis factor in cancer cells

In this study we have investigated the interaction of caffeine, a prototypic methylxanthine, and TNF on the induction of cell death in mouse and human cell lines during progression from G1 to successive phases of the cell cycle. Exposure of cells to TNF (0.1-100 ng ml-1) as single agent for 48 h caused low or no lethality. The rates of cell death increased significantly when cells cultured with TNF for 24 h were exposed to caffeine (2.5-20 mM). The magnitude of the enhancement by caffeine was TNF and caffeine dose-dependent. The most effective response to this combination was observed in the mouse cell lines, WEHI and L929, followed by the human cell lines, HeLa, A375 and MCF-7, respectively. In L929 cells, TNF treatment did not inhibit DNA synthesis during the first S phase of the cell cycle (20-24 h), but it did block the progress toward a second S phase, indicating the cells were arrested at G2 phase or mitosis. Caffeine had great enhancer effect on L929 cells exposed to TNF for 24 h, but the effect was reduced in cells with either less than 24 h or greater than 28 h of exposure. L929 cells stimulated with TNF died via apoptosis, as judged by both morphological criteria and the occurrence of internucleosomal DNA cleavage. Exposure of TNF-treated cells to caffeine caused a greater increase in the proportion of apoptotic cells as well as the extent of internucleosomal DNA fragmentation.

Creative blocks: cell-cycle checkpoints and feedback controls

Before division, cells must ensure that they finish DNA replication, DNA repair and chromosome segregation. They do so by using feedback controls which can detect the failure to complete replication, repair or spindle assembly to arrest the progress of the cell cycle at one of three checkpoints. Failures in feedback controls can contribute to the generation of cancer.

In vitro cell cycle arrest induced by using artificial DNA templates

In cell extracts of Xenopus eggs which oscillate between S and M phases of the cell cycle, the onset of mitosis is blocked by the presence of incompletely replicated DNA. In this report, we show that several artificial DNA templates (M13 single-stranded DNA and double-stranded plasmid DNA) can trigger this feedback pathway, which inhibits mitosis. Single-stranded M13 DNA is much more effective than double-stranded plasmid DNA at inhibiting the onset of mitosis. Furthermore, we have shown that low levels of M13 single-stranded DNA and high levels of double-stranded plasmid DNA can elevate the tyrosine kinase activity responsible for phosphorylating p34cdc2, thereby inactivating maturation-promoting factor and inhibiting entry into mitosis. This constitutes a simplified system with which to study the signal transduction pathway from the DNA template to the tyrosine kinase responsible for inhibiting p34cdc2 activity.

Programmed cell death: concept, mechanism and control

Programmed cell death or apoptosis occurs under physiological conditions as a result of physiological effectors. It is a relatively slower process and requires active participation of the cell in the suicidal mechanism. Apoptosis is controlled by precise intrinsic genetic programme and may be induced by almost all those stimuli causing necrosis. The role played by the intensity in determining the death process and the underlying mechanism is imperfectly understood. Morphologically apoptotic cells appear as small condensed body. The chromatin is dense and fragmented, packed into compact membrane-bound bodies together with randomly distributed cell organelles. The plasma membrane loses its characteristic architecture and shows extensive blebbing. It buds off projections so that the whole cell may split into several membrane-bound apoptotic bodies. Significant chemical changes take place in the plasma membrane. This helps in recognition of the apoptotic bodies by phagocytes. At this moment it is unclear if all cells can undergo apoptosis or it is a characteristic of only some tissues which are predisposed to apoptotic death being directly under the control of hormones or growth factors. Experimental studies aimed at comparison of induction of apoptosis in cells of different origin are warranted to elucidate this point. Biochemically a pre-commitment step for induction of death programmation through macromolecular synthesis is essential for most systems. The double-stranded linker DNA between nucleosomes is cleaved at regular inter-nucleosomal sites through the action of a Ca2+, Mg(2+)-sensitive neutral endonuclease. Zinc is a potent inhibitor of the enzyme. Calcium probably plays a key controlling role in activation of the enzyme since prevention of Ca2+ increase prevents endonuclease activation. It is becoming evident that signal transduction through appropriate receptors control the Ca2+ flux in the cells. Most apoptotic cells require synthesis of RNA and proteins. Delay or abrogation of apoptosis by inhibition of macromolecular synthesis is well known. The dying cells show high mRNA levels for several enzymes. Several degradative enzymes become active. Regulatory proteins maintain control over the apoptotic cascade. At the molecular level, search has been initiated for the mammalian equivalents of the cell death (ced) gene. Activation of several specific genes is indicated. Specific expression of cell death-associated gene products (e.g. TRPM-2/SGP-2) has been reported in several unrelated apoptotic cell systems. Sequential induction of c-fos, c-myc and 70 kDa heat shock protein is reported. Studies demonstrate that certain genes must remain in a transcriptionally active demethylated state during programmed cell death. Recent evidences clearly indicate that apoptosis may be positively or negatively modulated by certain genes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Apoptosis. Biochemical events and relevance to cancer chemotherapy

Two distinct pathways for cell death exist. Compared to necrotic death, physiological or apoptotic cell death is an active suicidal process that consists of a cascade of well-regulated synthetic events. Participation of specific genes in apoptosis, and its possible molecular regulation, are considered in order to investigate the mechanism of cell death induced by some cancer chemotherapeutic agents.

In vitro cell cycle arrest induced by using artificial DNA templates

In cell extracts of Xenopus eggs which oscillate between S and M phases of the cell cycle, the onset of mitosis is blocked by the presence of incompletely replicated DNA. In this report, we show that several artificial DNA templates (M13 single-stranded DNA and double-stranded plasmid DNA) can trigger this feedback pathway, which inhibits mitosis. Single-stranded M13 DNA is much more effective than double-stranded plasmid DNA at inhibiting the onset of mitosis. Furthermore, we have shown that low levels of M13 single-stranded DNA and high levels of double-stranded plasmid DNA can elevate the tyrosine kinase activity responsible for phosphorylating p34cdc2, thereby inactivating maturation-promoting factor and inhibiting entry into mitosis. This constitutes a simplified system with which to study the signal transduction pathway from the DNA template to the tyrosine kinase responsible for inhibiting p34cdc2 activity.

Chemically induced premature mitosis: differential response in rodent and human cells and the relationship to cyclin B synthesis and p34cdc2/cyclin B complex formation

Normal eukaryotic cells do not initiate mitosis until DNA replication has been completed. This requirement can be bypassed by exposing cells to certain chemicals. We report here that chemically induced premature mitosis is not readily achieved in all mammalian species. Although hamster cells underwent premature mitosis following treatment with caffeine, the protein phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid, and the protein kinase inhibitors 2-aminopurine and 6-dimethyl-aminopurine, the mouse and human cells examined in this study displayed little or no response to any of these compounds. Differences in cell permeability or metabolism could not account for the species specificity of these drugs, because other biochemical and mitosis-promoting activities were apparent in human cells. Cell-type specificity can be explained, however, by the timing of cyclin B synthesis and p34cdc2/cyclin B complex formation during the cell cycle. Synthesis of cyclin B and formation of a p34cdc2/cyclin B complex, both of which are required for initiation of mitosis, were prevalent in hamster cells arrested in S phase but were absent or barely detectable in arrested human cells. In hamster cells, the hyperphosphorylated form of p34cdc2 was complexed with cyclin B and underwent tyrosine dephosphorylation during caffeine-induced premature mitosis. These findings indicate that the onset of mitosis is regulated somewhat differently among mammalian cell types and that these differences affect the vulnerability of cells to drug-induced mitotic aberrations and cytogenetic damage.

The centromere-kinetochore complex: a repeat subunit model

The three-dimensional structure of the kinetochore and the DNA/protein composition of the centromere-kinetochore region was investigated using two novel techniques, caffeine-induced detachment of unreplicated kinetochores and stretching of kinetochores by hypotonic and/or shear forces generated in a cytocentrifuge. Kinetochore detachment was confirmed by EM and immunostaining with CREST autoantibodies. Electron microscopic analyses of serial sections demonstrated that detached kinetochores represented fragments derived from whole kinetochores. This was especially evident for the seven large kinetochores in the male Indian muntjac that gave rise to 80-100 fragments upon detachment. The kinetochore fragments, all of which interacted with spindle microtubules and progressed through the entire repertoire of mitotic movements, provide evidence for a subunit organization within the kinetochore. Further support for a repeat subunit model was obtained by stretching or uncoiling the metaphase centromere-kinetochore complex by hypotonic treatments. When immunostained with CREST autoantibodies and subsequently processed for in situ hybridization using synthetic centromere probes, stretched kinetochores displayed a linear array of fluorescent subunits arranged in a repetitive pattern along a centromeric DNA fiber. In addition to CREST antigens, each repetitive subunit was found to bind tubulin and contain cytoplasmic dynein, a microtubule motor localized in the zone of the corona. Collectively, the data suggest that the kinetochore, a plate-like structure seen by EM on many eukaryotic chromosomes is formed by the folding of a linear DNA fiber consisting of tandemly repeated subunits interspersed by DNA linkers. This model, unlike any previously proposed, can account for the structural and evolutional diversity of the kinetochore and its relationship to the centromere of eukaryotic chromosomes of many species.

Caffeine overcomes a restriction point associated with DNA replication, but does not accelerate mitosis

Mitotic chromosome condensation is normally dependent on the previous completion of replication. Caffeine spectacularly deranges cell cycle controls after DNA polymerase inhibition or DNA damage; it induces the condensation, in cells that have not completed replication, of fragmented nuclear structures, analogous to the S-phase prematurely condensed chromosomes seen when replicating cells are fused with mitotic cells. Caffeine has been reported to induce S-phase condensation in cells where replication is arrested, by accelerating cell cycle progression as well as by uncoupling it from replication; for, in BHK or CHO hamster cells arrested in early S-phase and given caffeine, condensed chromosomes appear well before the normal time at which mitosis occurs in cells released from arrest. However, we have found that this apparent acceleration depends on the technique of synchrony and cell line employed. In other cells, and in synchronized hamster cells where the cycle has not been subjected to prolonged continual arrest, condensation in replication-arrested cells given caffeine occurs at the same time as normal mitosis in parallel populations where replication is allowed to proceed. This caffeine-induced condensation is therefore "premature" with respect to the chromatin structure of the S-phase nucleus, but not with respect to the timing of the normal cycle. Caffeine in replication-arrested cells thus overcomes the restriction on the formation of mitotic condensing factors that is normally imposed during DNA replication, but does not accelerate the timing of condensation unless cycle controls have previously been disturbed by synchronization procedures.

Rapid evaluation of topoisomerase inhibitors: caffeine inhibition of topoisomerases in vivo

Caffeine was found to inhibit both type I and type II topoisomerases in vivo as judged by its effects on replicating simian virus 40 (SV40) chromosomes. The study was facilitated by the use of a rapid filter assay for the detection and characterization of topoisomerase inhibitors. The assay, which requires neither purified enzymes nor substrates, was able to identify both antagonists and poisons of type I and type II topoisomerases.

G1 events and regulation of cell proliferation

Cells prepare for S phase during the G1 phase of the cell cycle. Cell biological methods have provided knowledge of cycle kinetics and of substages of G1 that are determined by extracellular signals. Through the use of biochemical and molecular biological techniques to study effects of growth factors, oncogenes, and inhibitors, intracellular events during G1 that lead to DNA synthesis are rapidly being discovered. Many cells in vivo are in a quiescent state (G0), with unduplicated DNA. Cells can be activated to reenter the cycle during G1. Similarly, cells in culture can be shifted between G0 and G1. These switches in and out of G1 are the main determinants of post-embryonic cell proliferation rate and are defectively controlled in cancer cells.

Effect of cycloheximide on development of methotrexate resistance of Chinese hamster ovary cells treated with inhibitors of DNA synthesis

We examined the effects of 18 h of incubation of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO K1) cells with cycloheximide, hydroxyurea, and aphidicolin. Treatment of cells with cycloheximide alone at a concentration adequate to inhibit DNA synthesis to less than 10% of control was significantly less cytotoxic and clastogenic than treatment with hydroxyurea or aphidicolin, did not induce unbalanced cellular growth, and had no effect on the frequency of resistant cells in methotrexate selections compared with control cells. When combined with hydroxyurea or aphidicolin and compared with the effects of either drug alone, cycloheximide blocked the induction of unbalanced growth during drug treatment, reduced the frequency of chromosomal aberrations in recovering cell populations, and decreased cell killing. In addition, the increased frequency of methotrexate-resistant cells observed after treatment with hydroxyurea or aphidicolin was eliminated when cycloheximide was present during drug treatment.

Effect of cycloheximide on development of methotrexate resistance of Chinese hamster ovary cells treated with inhibitors of DNA synthesis

We examined the effects of 18 h of incubation of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO K1) cells with cycloheximide, hydroxyurea, and aphidicolin. Treatment of cells with cycloheximide alone at a concentration adequate to inhibit DNA synthesis to less than 10% of control was significantly less cytotoxic and clastogenic than treatment with hydroxyurea or aphidicolin, did not induce unbalanced cellular growth, and had no effect on the frequency of resistant cells in methotrexate selections compared with control cells. When combined with hydroxyurea or aphidicolin and compared with the effects of either drug alone, cycloheximide blocked the induction of unbalanced growth during drug treatment, reduced the frequency of chromosomal aberrations in recovering cell populations, and decreased cell killing. In addition, the increased frequency of methotrexate-resistant cells observed after treatment with hydroxyurea or aphidicolin was eliminated when cycloheximide was present during drug treatment.