Effects of aclacinomycin on cell survival and cell cycle progression of cultured mammalian cells

The effects of aclacinomycin (ACM; NSC 208734) on cell viability, growth, and colony formation were investigated in suspension (Friend leukemia and L1210) and adherent (Chinese hamster ovary) cell systems. Cell cycle progression and the effect of the drug on various transition points in the cell cycle (i.e. G1 to S phase, through a window in early S phase and G2 phase to mitosis) were monitored by flow cytometry. Formation of Chinese hamster ovary cell colonies was inhibited by 50% following 24 hr of exposure to 0.05 micrograms ACM per ml whereas 1 hr of exposure to 1.0 micrograms ACM per ml reduced colony formation by only 30%. Stationary cultures required a drug concentration more than 5 times higher to reduce colony formation by an equivalent amount when present for 24 hr. Short-term (1-hr) exposure to drug concentrations up to 1.0 micrograms/ml had no effect on colony formation of stationary-phase Chinese hamster ovary cells. Cell growth was inhibited by 50% in suspension cultures of Friend leukemia and L1210 cells when exposed for 24 hr to 0.024 and 0.053 micrograms ACM per ml, respectively. Continuous drug exposure of Friend leukemia and L1210 cells to ACM concentrations of 0.05 to 0.1 micrograms/ml led to a slow down in cell progression manifested as an accumulation of cells in G2 + M phase by 24-hr and then in G1 phase by 48-hr culture. However, brief (1-hr) exposure of L1210 cells to 0.5 micrograms/ml resulted in an irreversible accumulation of cells in G2 + M phase. A more detailed examination of drug effects on the cell cycle determined that 0.1 micrograms ACM per ml resulted in a slow down in L1210 cells leaving G1 phase and entering mitosis and an accumulation of cells in G2 phase, although early S-phase cells appeared unaffected. At a 5 times higher drug concentration, exit of cells from G1 was almost completely halted, passage of cells through early S was slowed, and the entrance of cells into mitosis plateaued 3.5 hr after addition of the drug; G2-phase cells were only mildly affected. The RNA content of all cells examined was reduced by 35 to 50% depending upon dose and time of exposure. These findings are discussed in terms of the known biochemical effects of ACM on RNA and protein synthesis.     

Effects of ellipticine on cell survival and cell cycle progression in cultured mammalian cells

The effects of ellipticine [5,11-dimethyl-6H-pyrido(4,3-b)carbazole; NSC 71795] on cell viability, growth, and colony formation were investigated in suspension (Friend leukemia and L1210) and adherent [Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)]tumor cell systems as well as in mitogen-stimulated human peripheral blood lymphocyte cultures. Cell cycle progression and the terminal point of action of the drug were monitored by flow cytometry. Ellipticine was cytostatic for all cell lines tested, blocking cells in G2 phase following 24 hr constant exposure at concentrations in the range of 1.0 microgram/ml. A 10 times higher drug concentration was required to block cells in G2 if the cells were exposed for only 30 min to the drug followed by 23.5 hr culture in drug-free medium. Formation of CHO cell colonies was inhibited by 50% following exposure to ellipticine for 2 hr at 6.0 microgram/ml or for 24 hr at 0.3 microgram/ml. Fifty % cell kill in asynchronously growing Friend leukemia and L1210 cells was obtained following exposure to ellipticine for 24 hr at 2.0 microgram/ml and 1.15 microgram/ml, respectively, whereas human peripheral blood lymphocytes required 66 hr exposure to 1.0 microgram/ml to kill 50% of the cells. Phytohemagglutinin-stimulated lymphocytes were remarkably resistant to the cytotoxic effect of ellipticine but did display a dose-dependent inhibition of stimulation and accumulation in G2 whether the drug was added prior to our during active cell proliferation. Ellipticine, at cytostatic concentrations, had a marked effect on cellular RNA content. Friend leukemia cells, blocked in G2 by the drug, doubled their RNA content compared to control cells. L1210 and CHO cells, but not lymphocytes, also increased in RNA content following ellipticine treatment. Drug concentrations which blocked cells in G2 also led in the case of Friend leukemia and L1210 but not CHO cells to an increase in the proportion of cells with greater than 4C amounts of DNA.     

Cell cycle effects of CC-1065

CC-1065 is the most potent antitumor agent tested in our laboratory. It is lethal to B16 and CHO cells and to a variety of human tumors in the clonogenic assay at 1 ng/ml and is effective against L1210 leukemia and B16 melanoma in vivo at 1 to 50 micrograms/kg. CC-1065 inhibits DNA synthesis and binds to DNA in a nonintercalative manner in the minor groove. We report here the kinetics of inhibition of DNA synthesis and of cell progression and the phase-specific toxicity of the drug. To determine phase-specific toxicity, we started synchronous CHO cultures from mitotic cells harvested after Colcemid pretreatment. These cultures showed that mitotic cells were the most sensitive, and sensitivity decreased as the cells progressed through G1 to S and G2. Experiments with B16 and CHO mitotic cells harvested without Colcemid pretreatment also showed that mitotic cells were more sensitive than G1/S-phase cells. Cell progression studies showed that CC-1065 did not affect progression from mitosis to G1 or from G1 to S. Cells progressed slowly through S at low levels (1 ng/ml) of the drug but were blocked in S at 5 ng/ml. Cell progression from G2 to M was blocked by CC-1065. DNA synthesis in B16 cells was measured at different times after 2-hr exposure to CC-1065. The percentage of inhibition of DNA synthesis was minimum at 4 hr and maximum at 19 hr after drug exposure. Since B16 cell progression studies showed a marked change in percentage of S-phase cells during this time, the DNA synthesis rate was recalculated as cpm/S-phase cell. After this correction (i.e., expressing DNA synthesis as cpm/S-phase cell), the percentage of inhibition of DNA synthesis was minimum at 0 hr and gradually increased to maximum inhibition at 19 hr without the decrease seen previously at 4 hr.     

Effects of a prospective antitumor agent, 1,4-bis(2''-chloroethyl)-1,4-diazabicyclo-[2.2.1] heptane diperchlorate, on cultured mammalian cells

The effects of 1,4-bis(2'-chloroethyl)-1,4-diazabicyclo-[2.2.1] heptane diperchlorate (CBH; NSC 57198) on cell viability, growth, progression through the cell cycle, survival, and differentiation were investigated in suspension cultures of murine lymphocytic leukemia (L1210) and erythroleukemic (FL) cells and normal human lymphocytes stimulated with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and in adherent cultures of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. CBH was equally cytotoxic toward stationary and exponentially growing CHO cells. Cell viability was diminished by 50% following 24 hr exposure to approximately 50 μg CBH per ml. Treatment of quiescent human lymphocytes for 24 hr with up to 100 μg CBH per ml did not appreciably diminish cell viability though the subsequent stimulation of such lymphocytes with PHA was inhibited in a dose dependent fashion. L1210, FL cells, and PHA stimulated human lymphocytes were equally sensitive to CBH, 50% inhibition of growth was obtained following 24 hr treatment with 25 μg CBH per ml. Incubation for up to 48 hr with CBH did not result in differentiation of FL cells to mature hemoglobin containing cells. Constant exposure of L1210 cells and PHA-stimulated human lymphocytes to 10-50 μg CBH per ml resulted in accumulation of cells in G₂ + M phase; higher drug concentrations resulted in cell arrest in mid to late S phase and G₂ phase. A short 1-hr pulse of the drug resulted in a transient accumulation of L1210 cells in S and G₂ phases. However, cells recovered from a short pulse of drug and by 48 hr, both cell proliferation and the cell cycle distribution appeared normal. A detailed analysis of cell cycle progression of L1210 cells in the presence of the drug indicated that the duration of G₂ phase was extended at low concentrations (10 μg/ml) while the transit of cells through S was retarded with subsequent accumulation in late S and G₂ phase at higher (50 μg/ml) concentrations. Concomitant with cell arrest in S and G₂ phase an increase in cellular RNA content indicating unbalanced growth was observed. This state of unbalanced growth was reversible in cultures exposed to a 1-hr pulse of up to 100 μg CBH per ml; cellular RNA content returned to control values by 48 hr. No effect on nuclear chromatin as assayed by acid denaturation was observed. Though the exact mechanism of drug action is not known, the data are not incompatible with the drug acting as an alkylating agent.     

Effects of 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine on survival and cell cycle progression of L1210 leukemia cells

The in-vitro effects of the antileukemic agent 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dCyd), on DNA synthesis, growth, cloning in agar, and cell cycle traverse of L1210 leukemia cells were studied. 5-Aza-dCyd at 0.1 microgram/ml for 10 hr (cytotoxic concentration) did not inhibit DNA synthesis but produced a very potent growth inhibition, and changed markedly the DNA flow cytometric histograms. A 5-h continuous exposure to the drug at concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 10 micrograms/ml caused an accumulation of cells in the S portion of the DNA histograms indicating a slowing of the progression of cells in the S phase. A longer exposure time (10 h) at the same concentrations led to a bimodal DNA distribution (peaks at G1 and G2-M) and a depletion of the S phase. When the exposure time to 5-aza-dCyd (0.1 microgram/ml) was extended to 15 and 20 h, there was a decrease in the G2-M peak and an augmentation of the G1 peak. To determine if 5-aza-dCyd produced a block in cell cycle progression, L1210 cells were treated for 10 h with colcemid and 5-aza-dCyd simultaneously for 10 h. Colcemid alone, or colcemid in combination with 5-aza-dCyd produced an accumulation of cells under a single G2-M peak. This indicates that 5-aza-dCyd did not block the progression of L1210 cells through S phase, but only produced a slowing down of this event. These results, indicating that 5-aza-dCyd does not block cell cycle progression and that its cytotoxic action is not self-limiting, are of importance for designing future clinical trials.     

Lethality, DNA alkylation, and cell cycle effects of adozelesin (U-73975) on rodent and human cells.

Adozelesin (U-73975) is an extremely potent cytotoxic agent which causes 90% lethality, after 2 h exposure in vitro, of Chinese hamster ovary and lung (CHO and V79), mouse melanoma (B16), and human ovarian carcinoma (A2780) cells at 0.33, 0.19, 0.2, and 0.025 ng/ml, respectively. Under similar conditions, Adriamycin and cisplatin had 90% lethality values in CHO cells of 150 ng/ml (= 249 nM) and 6800 ng/ml (= 2266 nM), respectively. The relative drug sensitivity of the cell lines (A2780 > V79, B16, CHO) was correlated to the relative amounts of [3H]adozelesin alkylated to DNA. The greater sensitivity of A2780 was due to (a) greater DNA alkylation at different drug doses and (b) greater intrinsic sensitivity of A2780 which resulted in greater cell kill at comparable DNA alkylation. Phase specific toxicity studies show that adozelesin was least lethal to CHO cells in mitosis and very early G1. Lethality increased as cells progressed through G1 and was maximal in late G1 and early S. Mitotic cells had lower drug uptake and correspondingly less drug binding to DNA than G1 or S-phase cells. However, based on the amount of drug alkylated per micrograms of DNA, cells in M, G1, and S were equally sensitive. Therefore, the lower sensitivity of M-phase cells was due to lower drug uptake. Adozelesin had three different effects on progression of CHO, V79, B16, and A2780 through the cell cycle: (a) slowed progression through S which resulted in significantly increasing the percentage of S-phase cells. This effect was transient; (b) cell progression was blocked in G2 for a long time period; (c) the response of the cell lines to the G2 block differed. CHO and V79 cells escaped G2 block by dividing and entered the diploid DNA cycle or did not undergo cytokinesis and became tetraploid. On the contrary, B16 and A2780 cells remained blocked in G2 and did not become tetraploid. Cell progression was inhibited in a similar manner when a synchronized population of M, G1, or S-phase cells were exposed to adozelesin.     

Enhanced cell killing through the use of cell kinetics-directed treatment schedules for two-drug combinations in vitro

Kinetics-directed drug treatment schedules were tested in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Ten hr after treatment with 1,2:5,6-dianhydrogalactitol (DAG) (at a dose lethal to less than 5% of the cells), a 150% enrichment of cells into the S phase of the cell cycle was observed. This blockade in S phase was reversible and was followed at 18 hr after an exposure to DAG by a 200% increase in the fraction of cells in the G2-M phases of the cell cycle. Bleomycin, known to be most effective against G2 + M cells, had the greatest effect on cell killing when administered at that time. Rapid analysis by flow microfluorometry techniques was used to determine the DAG-induced kinetics changes, thus allowing treatment with the second drugs at the most opportune time. The DAG-induced kinetics changes were also demonstrated in a line of human adenocarcinoma of the stomach in vitro and in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells in vivo. In all cases, the enrichment of cells into S phase was reversible at the doses used and was followed by a reversible blockade in G2-M.     

Role of proliferation in determining sensitivity to topoisomerase II-active chemotherapy agents

We have examined the relationship between topoisomerase II content and the DNA cleavage activity and cytotoxicity of etoposide during proliferative and quiescent culture conditions. In proliferating cultures of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, human lymphoblastic CCRF cells, and mouse leukemia L1210 cells, there was easily detectable topoisomerase II by immunoblotting. In contrast, quiescent CHO cells contained virtually no detectable topoisomerase II, while the content of L1210 cells was unchanged. Enzyme content of quiescent CCRF cells was diminished but detectable. DNA cleavage activity induced by etoposide correlated well with enzyme content in proliferating and quiescent cells. Quiescent CHO and CCRF cultures were highly resistant to the cytotoxic effects of etoposide as expected. However, despite unchanged enzyme content and DNA cleavage activity, there was also significant resistance observed in plateau L1210 cells. We have also investigated topoisomerase content and drug activity as a function of cell cycle progression. Following serum stimulation of confluent BalbC/3T3 cells, maximal etoposide-induced DNA cleavage activity is observed in G2/M and is associated with an increase in topoisomerase II content. Maximum cytotoxicity, however, occurs during mid to late S phase. Our data suggest that topoisomerase II content may be an important determinant of chemotherapeutic sensitivity during alterations in the proliferative status of the cell. However, it is clear that other factors must be involved in cell sensitivity, and elucidation of these may contribute to our understanding of the mechanism of action of these drugs.     

Differential ability of 2,4-dinitrophenol to modulate etoposide cytotoxicity in mammalian tumor cell lines associated with inhibition of macromolecular synthesis

The inhibitor of oxidative phosphorylation, 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP), abrogates etoposide cytotoxicity in murine leukemia L1210 cells without affecting the quantity of drug-induced DNA lesions. Cell cycle arrest and events associated with cell death were followed in etoposide treated L1210 cells under conditions in which DNP reduced cytotoxicity greater than 100-fold. Micronucleation, associated with mitotic catastrophe, and apoptotic internucleosomal degradation of DNA, were both inhibited by DNP co-treatment to an extent consistent with clonogenic survival. However, the ability of etoposide to cause cell cycle arrest was minimally affected by DNP. For the same proportion of cells arresting in G(2), DNP co-treatment profoundly reduced etoposide cytotoxicity, suggesting a separation between etoposide-induced G(2) arrest and cell death. At the same concentration used to treat L1210 cells, DNP was unable to abrogate etoposide cytotoxicity in HeLa, Chinese hamster ovary or HL60 cells. The relationship between ongoing macromolecular synthesis during etoposide treatment and clonogenic survival was further studied in L1210 and HeLa cells. In general, L1210 cells were more sensitive than HeLa cells to inhibition of macromolecular synthesis by DNP. A higher DNP concentration did partially block etoposide cytotoxicity in HeLa cells, in association with increased inhibition of macromolecular synthesis. It was not possible to attribute the reduced cytotoxicity of etoposide in HeLa cells to inhibition of DNA or RNA synthesis alone, because inhibitors with greater specificity (aphidicolin and DRB) had no effect on clonogenic survival. However, aphidicolin partially abrogated etoposide cytotoxicity in L1210 cells, although to a lesser extent than DNP. These data indicate that inhibition of DNA or RNA synthesis alone during etoposide exposure is insufficient to abrogate killing of HeLa cells, that inhibition of etoposide cytotoxicity in HeLa cells may require the additional inhibition of protein synthesis, and that the modulating effects of ongoing DNA synthesis on etoposide cytotoxicity are cell line dependent.     

Effects of N-hydroxy-N'-aminoguanidine derivatives on ribonucleotide reductase activity, nucleic acid synthesis, clonogenicity, and cell cycle of L1210 cells

Derivatives of N-hydroxy-N'-aminoguanidine were recently shown to be efficient inhibitors of mammalian ribonucleotide reductase and cancer cell growth. We investigated the effects of the 1-isoquinolylmethylene and the 2-quinolylmethylene derivatives of N-hydroxy-N'-aminoguanidine on intracellular targets, cell viability, and cell cycle of L1210 mouse leukemia cells. A 2-h exposure of L1210 cells to either drug in the low micromolar concentration range led to inhibition of intracellular ribonucleotide reductase activity and DNA synthesis. After a 24-h incubation in the presence of these drugs, RNA synthesis was also markedly diminished. The clonogenicity of L1210 cells was inhibited after treatment with the drugs for 24 and 48 h, the I50 values being comparable to the drug concentrations required for 50% inhibition of DNA synthesis and cell proliferation. The isoquinoline compound was always more inhibitory to reductase activity, nucleic acid synthesis, and clonogenicity than the quinoline compound. As shown by flow cytometry, the N-hydroxy-N'-aminoguanidine isoquinoline derivative at 0.5-10 microM led to an elevation of G0/G1 cells and a decrease of G2/M and S cells. At 10 microM of the drug this shift remained unchanged over 48 h. L1210 cells treated with 0.5, 1, and 2 microM of the drug overcame the block after 4 to 12 h of exposure and progressed through S- and G2/M-phase in a synchronized manner.     

Effects of tamoxifen on cell cycle progression of synchronous MCF-7 human mammary carcinoma cells

The effects of tamoxifen on cell cycle progression and clonogenic survival have been examined using synchronized cultures of MCF-7 human mammary carcinoma cells. Cell synchrony was induced by mitotic selection. Subsequent cell cycle analyses, using DNA flow cytometry, showed that 85% of synchronized cells had a mean cell cycle time of 21.3 hr with mean phase durations of 9 hr for G0-G1, 9.3 hr for S, and 3 hr for G2 + M. A slowly cycling or noncycling subpopulation comprising 15% of the total population was also observed. Exposure to tamoxifen (5 to 12.5 microM) resulted in a dose-dependent reduction in the number of cells progressing through G0-G1 and entering S phase. Those cells which were not retained in G0-G1, however, appeared to traverse G0-G1 and the remainder of the cell cycle at a rate only slightly less than that of untreated controls. Further experiments demonstrated that the major sensitivity to tamoxifen in terms of both inhibition of cell cycle progression and drug cytotoxicity was restricted to a short interval in the middle of G0-G1. This 2- to 4-hr period of maximum drug sensitivity began approximately 4 hr after mitotic selection, with drug exposures outside this time frame having markedly fewer effects. The significance of these observations in the light of previous studies with asynchronous populations of MCF-7 cells is discussed.     

Novobiocin, nalidixic acid, etoposide, and 4'-(9-acridinylamino)methanesulfon-m-anisidide effects on G2 and mitotic Chinese hamster ovary cell progression

Exponentially growing Chinese hamster ovary cells, exposed to inhibitors of topoisomerase II (novobiocin, nalidixic acid, etoposide, and 4'-(9-acridinylamino)methanesulfon-m-anisidide were blocked in progression through G2. The manner of recovery from the novobiocin-induced block, following drug removal, indicated that the blockade was at and before a specific point in G2 (a transition point). The transition point for novobiocin and putative transition points for nalidixic acid and 4'-(9-acridinylamino)methanesulfon-m-anisidide were about 30 min before metaphase. The transition point for nalidixic acid varied with concentration from about 70 min before metaphase, at 1 microgram/ml, to 24 min before metaphase at 15 micrograms/ml and above. The novobiocin- and nalidixic acid-induced G2 block could not be accounted for by cytotoxicity or DNA damage (detected by neutral elution). The novobiocin-induced G2 block could not be attributed to gross RNA synthesis inhibition. Progress beyond metaphase was blocked by novobiocin but not by nalidixic acid, when cells were exposed to drug concentrations which inhibited G2 cell progression. It is suggested that the progression of Chinese hamster ovary cells into but not through mitosis may require topoisomerase II.     

Cytotoxic thresholds of vincristine in a murine and a human leukemia cell line in vitro.

L1210 murine leukemia and CEM human lymphoblastoid leukemia cells were exposed to vincristine sulfate in vitro. The response of these cell lines to this agent was measured by the colony-forming ability of L1210 cells in soft agar and inhibition of growth of CEM in suspension culture. Incremental increases of vincristine concentrations in excess of 2 x 10(-9) M produced a progressive reduction of survival of L1210 cells and suppression of CEM growth under the condition of constant drug exposure. A maximum cytotoxic effect was reached with drug concentrations between 10(-8) and 10(-7) M. When L1210 cells were exposed to vincristine for a variable length of time ranging from 0.5 to 24 hr, 10(-7) M produced a noticeable cytotoxic effect following an incubation of only 30 min. A 50% cell kill of L1210 cells and a 50% reduction of CEM cell growth were produced by 10(-7) M following a 1- to 3-hr period of exposure; 6 to 12 hr were required to produce a similar effect at a vincristine concentration of 10(-8) M. Therefore, the antitumor effect of vincristine is critically dependent on both concentration and duration of exposure. These data suggest the possibility that the effectiveness of vincristine as an antitumor agent could be enhanced if methods are developed to prolong exposure of neoplastic tissues for longer periods of time than currently produced by conventional methods of administration.     

Effects of a new amsacrine derivative, N-5-dimethyl-9-(2-methoxy-4-methylsulfonylamino)phenylamino-4- acridinecarboxamide, on cultured mammalian cells

The effects of N-5-dimethyl-9-(2-methoxy-4-methylsulfonylamino)-phenylamino-4- acridinecarboxamide (CI-921; NSC 343499), a lipophilic and water-soluble derivative of amsacrine (NSC 249992), on cell viability, growth, clonogenicity, and progression through the cell cycle were investigated in suspension cultures of Friend erythroleukemic cells and in in suspension cultures of Friend erythroleukemic cells and in adherent cultures of Chinese hamster ovary cells. CI-921 was less toxic toward stationary than toward exponentially growing Chinese hamster ovary cells; colony formation was inhibited by 50% following a 1-h pulse of 190 versus 80 nM CI-921, respectively. Cell viability was unaffected in Friend erythroleukemic cell cultures at concentrations up to 50 nM, although growth was inhibited by 50% following 24 h of continuous exposure to 9.5 nM or a 1 h pulse of 67.5 nM CI-921. Constant exposure of Friend erythroleukemic cells to 10 nM CI-921 slowed proliferation and resulted in prolongation of cell transit through late S and G2 phases. Higher drug concentrations (50 nM) caused a complete cessation of growth marked by greatly suppressed cell transit through S phase and an irreversible block in G2 phase, about 30 min prior to division. In such cases, unbalanced growth was observed with total RNA and protein content of drug-treated cells increasing by 74 and 34%, respectively. Pulse exposure of cells to CI-921 resulted in transient accumulations of cells in S and/or G2 phase depending upon dose. The cell cycle distribution of stationary cultures treated for 1 h with drug and replated at a low cell density were identical to that of controls. Binding of the drug affected the sensitivity of DNA in situ to acid denaturing conditions which provides additional evidence that CI-921 binds to DNA by intercalation.     

Increased cell killing by metronidazole and nitrofurazone of hypoxic compared to aerobic mammalian cells.

Nitromidazole and nitrofuran derivatives comprise a large family of compounds, some of which have been shown to be hypoxic cell specific radiosensitizers in vivo and in vitro. The effects of metronidazole (2-methyl-5-nitroimidazole-1-ethanol) and nitrofurazone (5-nitro-2-furaldehyde semicarbazone) were studied on cell viability in vitro in the presence of air or nitrogen in the absence of radiation. Exponential-phase Chinese hamster ovary cells were placed in suspension culture in complete medium in the presence of air, made hypoxic by flowing nitrogen (less then 0.001% oxygen), and exposed to various concentrations of these drugs. As a function of time, aliquots were removed and plated to determine cell viability. After 8 hr of incubation of Chinese hamster ovary cells in 29 mM metronidazole or 500 muM nitrofurazone, the absolute plating efficiency remains relatively constant (80 to 40%) in the presence of air. In contrast, under hypoxic conditions the plating efficiency of the cells dropped to 1% after 6 hr of incubation in 29 mM metronidazole or 500 muM nitrofurazone. This phenomenon of hypoxic cell specific toxicity was found to be dependent upon cell type, concentration of drug, temperature of incubation, and oxygen concentration. The results of these experiments indicate an increased toxicity of these drugs under hypoxic conditions and suggest that further investigation into the mechanism and specificity of these effects is warranted.     

Biology of cell killing by 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine and its relevance to molecular mechanisms of cytotoxicity

Cells of the Chinese hamster ovary cell line were used to study the process of cell death induced by pulse treatment with 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine (ara-C). Cells were synchronized by mitotic selection and pulse treated in early S phase with a concentration of ara-C (1 mM) which was sufficient to reduce plating efficiency to a few percentages of the control. The process of when and how the lethally damaged cells die was studied using a series of techniques in parallel. These included time-lapse microcinematography, flow microfluorimetry, and chromosome morphology in both anaphases/telophases and Colcemid-arrested metaphases. Most of the lethally damaged Chinese hamster ovary cells progressed through one, and many through two, cell cycles before death occurred. The cell death and abnormal divisions can be accounted for by the chromosome aberrations observed in Colcemid metaphases and anaphases/telophases. Death without any attempted division occurred between 3 and 9 normal cell cycle times after ara-C treatment. Chinese hamster ovary cells were also treated continuously with 1 mM ara-C. Under these conditions, cell death was still primarily division related. We argue that these data are not consistent with the actual incorporation of ara-C moieties into DNA being the primary cause of cell death. The data are discussed in relation to the postulated molecular mechanisms of toxicity of this drug.     

Inhibition of p34cdc2 kinase activation, p34cdc2 tyrosine dephosphorylation, and mitotic progression in Chinese hamster ovary cells exposed to etoposide.

p34cdc2 kinase, an enzyme essential for mitosis in mammalian cells, may play a role in etoposide-induced G2 phase arrest of Chinese hamster ovary cells. In this study, etoposide is shown to cause inhibition of a specific p34cdc2 kinase activation pathway, that of tyrosine dephosphorylation. Exposure of asynchronously dividing cells to etoposide caused a simultaneous rapid decline of both mitotic index and p34cdc2 kinase activity, suggesting that the kinase was not activated and that the arrest point was in late G2 phase. Using synchronized cells, p34cdc2 kinase exhibited maximal activity at the G2/M transition. Activation of the kinase and the onset of mitosis were accompanied by increased electrophoretic mobility and tyrosine dephosphorylation of the p34cdc2 protein. A 1-h exposure to etoposide during early G2 phase inhibited p34cdc2 kinase activation, its shift in electrophoretic mobility, and its tyrosine dephosphorylation, all of which correlated with a delay in mitotic progression. The interaction between the p34cdc2 and cyclin B proteins appeared unaffected under etoposide exposure conditions which resulted in greater than 70% inhibition of p34cdc2 kinase activity and almost complete cessation of transition into mitosis. These data suggest that mammalian cells express a DNA damage-responsive mechanism which controls mitotic progression at the level of p34cdc2 tyrosine dephosphorylation.     

Cell killing and kinetic effects of diglycolaldehyde on dividing and nondividing mammalian cells in vitro.

The effects of the anticancer drug diglycolaldehyde (NSC-118994) were studied on Chinese hamster ovary cells growing in vitro. Dividing cells, specifically those in S-phase, were more sensitive to the drug than were nondividing cells, although a large fraction of nondividing cells was also killed by doses up to 800 microgram/ml. Dose-dependent effects on cell progression kinetics were observed in all phases of the cell cycle except in mitosis, during which treated cells progressed at control rates into G1-phase. The inhibition of cell progression from G1- into S-phase (most sensitive phase of the cell cycle) put self-limiting restrictions on the cell killing effects of the drug.     

DNA double-strand breaks measured in individual cells subjected to gel electrophoresis

Microscopic examination of individual mammalian cells embedded in agarose, subjected to electrophoresis, and stained with a fluorescent DNA-binding dye provides a novel way of measuring DNA damage and more importantly, of assessing heterogeneity in DNA damage within a mixed population of cells. With this method, DNA double-strand breaks can be detected in populations of cells exposed to X-ray doses as low as 5 Gy. The radiation dose-response relationship for initial formation of double-strand breaks was identical for cell lines irradiated in G1, regardless of their sensitivity to killing by ionizing radiation. However, for cells irradiated in S phase, DNA migration was significantly reduced. For Chinese hamster V79 cells, Chinese hamster ovary cells, WiDr human colon carcinoma cells, and L5178Y-R mouse lymphoblastoid cells, S-phase DNA appeared to be about 3 times less sensitive to X-ray damage than DNA from other phases of the cell cycle. However, for the very radiosensitive L5178Y-S cells, the migration of replicating DNA was reduced only slightly. For Chinese hamster V79 and Chinese hamster ovary cells, damage was repaired at a similar rate in all cells of the population, and 85% of the breaks were rejoined within 2 h after irradiation. The radiosensitive L5178Y-S cells repaired damage more slowly than V79 or Chinese hamster ovary cells; 2 h after exposure to 50 Gy, approximately 50% of the damage was still present.