Identification of genes highly expressed in G2-arrested Chinese hamster ovary cells by differential display analysis

Abnormal cell cycle regulation is believed to be an important step in tumorigenesis. In mammalian cells, DNA damage commonly leads to cell cycle arrest in G2; however, little is known about the detailed biochemical mechanisms underlying the DNA damage-induced G2 arrest. In order to identify genes differentially expressed in association with G2 arrest, differential display analysis was performed between exponentially growing Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and G2-arrested CHO cells induced by etoposide, SN-38, or X-radiation. We identified five cDNA clones whose expression was up-regulated in G2-arrested CHO cells. Sequence analysis revealed that three clones were homologous to known genes: isogene I of translation initiation factor eIF-4A, ribosomal protein L13, and translation repressor NAT1. The remaining two clones showed no homology to known genes. These results indicate that DNA damage can alter the expression of multiple genes, including translational regulators.