Uncoupling the senescent phenotype from telomere shortening in hydrogen peroxide-treated fibroblasts

Normal human cells have a limited replicative potential and inevitably reach replicative senescence in culture. Replicatively senescent cells show multiple molecular changes, some of which are related to the irreversible growth arrest in culture, whereas others resemble the changes occurring during the process of aging in vivo. Telomeres shorten as a result of cell replication and are thought to serve as a replicometer for senescence. Recent studies show that young cells can be induced to develop features of senescence prematurely by damaging agents, chromatin remodeling, and overexpression of ras or the E2F1 gene. Accelerated telomere shortening is thought to be a mechanism of premature senescence in some models. In this work, we test whether the acquisition of a senescent phenotype after mild-dose hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) exposure requires telomere shortening. Treating young HDFs with 150 microM H(2)O(2) once or 75 microM H(2)O(2) twice in 2 weeks causes long-term growth arrest, an enlarged morphology, activation of senescence-associated beta-galactosidase, and elevated expression of collagenase and clusterin mRNAs. No significant telomere shortening was observed with H(2)O(2) at doses ranging from 50 to 200 microM. Weekly treatment with 75 microM H(2)O(2) also failed to induce significant telomere shortening. Failure of telomere shortening correlated with an inability to elevate p16 protein or mRNA in H(2)O(2)-treated cells. In contrast, p21 mRNA was elevated over 40-fold and remained at this level for at least 2 weeks after a pulse treatment of H(2)O(2). The role of cell cycle checkpoints centered on p21 in premature senescence induced by H(2)O(2) is discussed here.

Prostaglandin E2 and vasoactive intestinal peptide increase vascular endothelial cell growth factor mRNAs in lung cancer cells

The effects of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) on vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) mRNAs were investigated using lung cancer cells. By RT-PCR, VEGF(121), VEGF(165), and VEGF(189), but not VEGF(206) isoforms were detected in all lung cancer cell lines and biopsy specimens examined. By Northern blot, VEGF mRNA was detected in all small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-SCLC (NSCLC) cell lines examined. PGE2, VIP and forskolin caused increased VEGF expression in a time- and concentration-dependent manner using NSCLC cell line NCI-H157. Approximately 1 microM PGE2, 0.1 microM VIP and 50 microM forskolin caused cAMP elevation, 64-, 33- and 128-fold, respectively, using NCI-H157 cells after 5 min. The increase in cAMP caused by PGE(2) and VIP was reversed by somatostatin (SST). Also 1 microM PGE2, 0.1 microM VIP and 50 microM forskolin increased the VEGF mRNA 2.0-, 1.5- and 2.3-fold, respectively, after 4 h. The increase in VEGF mRNA caused by PGE2, VIP and forskolin was inhibited by H-89, a protein kinase A inhibitor. A VIP receptor antagonist, VIPhybrid, inhibited the increase in cAMP and VEGF mRNA caused by VIP. By ELISA, VEGF was detected in the conditioned media exposed to the lung cancer cell lines. These results suggest that VEGF synthesis in and secretion from lung cancer cells can be regulated by agents, which cause adenylyl cyclase activation.

PACAP(6-38) is a PACAP receptor antagonist for breast cancer cells

The effects of pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) analogs were investigated using breast cancer cells. 125I-PACAP-27 bound with high affinity (Kd = 5 nM) to T47D cells (Bmax = 29,000 per cell). Specific 125I-PACAP-27 binding was inhibited half maximally by PACAP-27, PACAP-38, PACAP(6-38) and PACAP(28-38) with IC50) values of 8, 17, 750 and >3000 nM, respectively. By RT-PCR, PACAP receptor mRNA was present in MCF-7 and T47D cell lines. Polyclonal antibodies to a PACAP receptor fragment (A-8-C) were elicited. The antibodies were affinity purified, recognized a 60-kDa protein by western blot, and stained malignant cells in breast cancer biopsy specimens by immunohistochemistry. PACAP-27 elevated the cAMP in T47D cells and the increase in cAMP caused by PACAP was inhibited by PACAP(6-38). PACAP-27 stimulated c-fos mRNA in T47D cells and the increase in c-fos gene expression caused by PACAP was reversed by PACAP(6-38). PACAP(6-38) inhibited colony formation using a soft agar assay and inhibited breast cancer xenograft growth in nude mice. These data suggest that PACAP(6-38) functions as a breast cancer PACAP receptor antagonist.

The modifying effects of strain and age on the mutagenic specificity of ultraviolet light in Neurospora crassa

Two derivatives of K3/17 ad-3A 38701; inos 37401 of Neurospora crassa are described which show opposite specific reversional responses to UV. Both derivatives carry the same two auxotrophic alleles and appear to differ only in a single gene which influences the pattern of mutagen specificity. The differences between the derivatives only develop after the cultures have been aged for two to four weeks. Various possible explanations are considered.